Syros town planning bureau was a den of thieves

Boudouris had been suspended in 2010, but was called to testify by inquisitors looking into the penal aspects of the case. Although he had been absolved of charges of criminal infidelity towards the state, developments in the case proved very incriminating for the former bureau head. Despite the fact that the scandal was fodder for gossip around the island for years, his incarceration shocked local society.

His wife was also questioned, but was released under restrictions, while the former deputy bureau chief Kyriakos Diktyopoulos will be called to testify sometime in August. Diktyopoulos had been sentenced to three years last year, for debts to the state, but was paroled.

The Syros town planning bureau was at the center of ring that exploited illegally constructed luxury homes in the Cyclades. As judicial inquiries have uncovered the bureau chief and his deputy omitted the collection of fines from 2005-2009, worth more than 20 million euros, and their bank account were found to be exceedingly wealthy. The accounts showed scores of deposits from contractors, hoteliers, engineers, and even the municipality of Mykonos.