Anti-money laundering authority orders sweeping probe of all Greek urban planning offices
The head of Greece’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority, Charalambos Vourliotis, has ordered an extensive financial audit of all urban planning offices nationwide following the recent exposure of a corruption ring in Attica.
Investigation launched
On June 18, the head of Greece’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority, Charalambos Vourliotis, ordered a sweeping financial investigation into all urban planning offices across the country. The probe was initiated after recent revelations of a bribery network operating within planning departments in northeastern Attica. Authority inspectors will scrutinize the financial records of employees in key positions from one end of Greece to the other.
Scope and methods
The investigation will include detailed examinations of tax returns, asset declarations (where legally required), bank account records, and the timing and means of acquiring real estate and other assets. Authorities will also look into the finances of relatives and third parties who may have acted as intermediaries in concealing or moving illicit funds. The aim is to identify discrepancies between declared incomes and actual lifestyles.
This is a huge investigation by nature, which will last a long time, but the goal is to check in depth the people who serve in key positions to determine whether a money laundering offence may have been committed by some corrupt officials.
Triggering case
The wide-scale audit follows the recent dismantling of a corruption ring in Attica’s planning offices. Six employees have been temporarily detained on charges of forming a criminal organization, bribery, and money laundering. Their arrests prompted Vourliotis to expand the probe nationally, suspecting that similar networks could exist elsewhere.
Asset freezes for detainees
Already, the authority has identified and ordered the seizure of properties and cash belonging to the six detainees, after finding sufficient indications of illicit enrichment. The frozen assets include real estate and unspecified amounts of cash. Separate reports are being prepared for each planning office, and if evidence of money laundering is found, the file will be forwarded to the competent prosecutor for preliminary examination and possible asset detention.
Ongoing investigations
Parallel to the urban planning probe, the authority continues to investigate other high-profile cases. Among them are a pharmacist in Chalandri, discovered with €2.5 million in cash, and a counterfeit olive oil ring that caused an estimated €3.5 million in losses to the state. In the olive oil case, more than ten properties, multiple vehicles, and a safe deposit box have been seized.
