A ring of extortionists operating in Corfu was dismantled by ELAS after a targeted police operation on Thursday (10/10) on the island, where at least 38,000 euros passed through the “hands” of its members.
In addition to the five people arrested – the four DOU employees and an accountant – four more people are included in the case file.
In particular, as it emerged, at least from May 2024, the members of the criminal organization were facilitating, omitting or performing tax authority procedures contrary to their official duties as employees, as well as blackmailing businessmen, where, taking advantage of their status, they demanded money sums as a consideration, so that their tax outstandings are processed.
How the circuit worked
The demand for the money was made, primarily, through a private person – accountant, member of the organization, in order to prevent the members – employees from having direct contact with their victims, while at the same time they took care to take special countermeasures both during their actions and against the communications between them.
The distinct roles
As it turned out, the leader of the organization was responsible for coordinating, receiving and distributing to the other members the sums of money, while he did not hesitate to threaten employees and accountants who might leak the organization’s activity. At the same time, he ensured appropriate information about counter-surveillance methods, so that the operational members of the organization would feel unpersecuted, during the -on his order- the targeted controls they were carrying out.
11-10-2024: Dismemberment of a criminal organization by the Internal Affairs Service
Furthermore, the other tax officials were essential for the operation of the organization, as due to their duties they either exercised direct supervision and control over the other employees, thus determining the speed and manner of handling the cases, or carried out on-the-spot audits of businesses at the command of the headquarters member.
Finally, the accountant was an intermediary between the employees and the taxpayers, charged with the direct contact and communication between the Auditing Authority and the auditees. Also, according to his role, he received and delivered sums of money from the taxpayers to the employees, himself ensuring preferential treatment of his clients from the D.O.Y.
At least 38,000 illegal “profits”
From the searches carried out in houses, vehicles, other places as well as from the possession of the accused, among others, the following were found and confiscated:
42,480 euros in total,
1,770 dollars
mobile phones, agenda and tax documents.
So far it has been established that, since the end of May 2024, the criminal organization has been involved in eight cases, while it has been established that its members demanded a total of at least 183,000 euros and managed to receive at least 38,000 euros .
Those arrested were taken to the competent Prosecutor’s Office, where they were referred to an investigator and given a deadline to apologize.
A case file was filed against them – as the case may be – for criminal organization, bribery and bribery of an employee, complicity in bribery, breach of duty and extortion by complicity.
There was a complaint regarding the illegal action of two D.O.Y. employees, who, taking advantage of their status, demanded the sum of 60,000 euros from a businessman, in order to settle his pending case.
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