 |
City zoning corruption network uncovered [Shutterstock]
Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. An investigation into alleged acts of corruption by a network operating in municipal planning offices in the capital region of Attica has led to several arrests and two high-level government resignations. Six people were arrested for their alleged involvement in the bribery scheme under which, investigators claim, individuals were charged €30,000 to fix zoning violations and block inspections. Authorities have compiled evidence for 25 cases, alleging that the network sought payment for preliminary permit approvals, irregular building permits and the shelving of complaints concerning demolition projects. A total of €334,895 in cash, computers, mobile phones, handwritten notes, and a bank safe-deposit box rental agreement were found during police searches at homes and offices linked to the suspects, along with other evidence of money laundering. Additionally, a further 30 individuals face charges, including municipal employees from Attica and Mykonos, engineers, architects, and businesspeople. The year-long investigation was initiated after an anonymous tip claimed that municipal employees were accepting payments to overlook violations in restaurants and kiosks, while a second complaint, forwarded by the National Transparency Authority, expanded the scope of the investigation to cover the whole capital region. The network was reportedly centred around the local Building Authority of Kifissia, an affluent northern suburb of Athens, and the Central Athens Architectural Council. The main suspects at the heart of the investigation are a married couple, one of whom is the general secretary of Galatsi municipality, who also chaired the Central Athens Architectural Council, and the other a technical adviser to the Attica Decentralized Administration, formerly the longtime head of Kifissia’s planning office. This is where the investigation turned into a political issue. Efthymios Bakoyannis, secretary-general for spatial planning and the urban environment at the Environment and Energy Ministry, tendered his resignation as the technical adviser is his brother-in-law. Bakoyannis cited personal reasons in his resignation letter, and the ministry declined to comment whether it was linked to the investigation. However, the investigation also linked the corruption network to the Culture Ministry, followed by the resignation of Secretary-General Giorgos Didaskalou. Naturally, there is speculation that the resignation is linked to the scandal, while ministry sources claim that it was because Didaskalou was one of several “long-serving” general secretaries asked to leave “because they have come to the end of their cycle”. Amid attacks by the opposition that this is a further corruption scandal linked to the government, the Prime Minister’s Office stated that it was during this government’s tenure that this network was uncovered. The government spokesperson also stressed that the names of the two resignees does not appear in any of the cases. Spotlight
|
MUST READS
|
 [InTime News]Opinion polls are center stage these days as we are moving closer to the next national elections, which have to be held within the next twelve months; the prime minister insists they will take place in the spring of ’27. What adds to the steadily increasing interest is not only that we have entered the final lap of the government’s four-year term, but the fact that new parties keep being created. Calculations have become more complex and accurate predictions more difficult. The new party by former prime minister Alexis Tsipras, Greek Leftist Alliance, which has quickly consolidated its position as the country’s second political force, is complicating the work of experts as it is an effort to unite the left beyond its original base, encompassing also part of the political center. For its part, the other party recently established, Maria Karystianou’s Hope for Democracy, has stirred the deck on the conservative side of the political spectrum, while also making inroads in some leftist parties too, namely Course of Freedom. Add to the mix yet another new party, the one that another former PM, Antonis Samaras, seems very likely to establish, and the polling firms are faced with a nightmare. Of course, it is not only the new political landscape that makes predictions more difficult. A number of obstacles faced by polling firms all over the world, like the decline in the use of landline phones and the shift to cellphones which has increased uncertainty over respondents’ geographical location, add to the failure to predict results accurately. In the Greek case, a majority of the public does not trust opinion surveys, believing they are easily manipulated, and often dismisses the analyses of pollsters’ and so called “expert” panelists. There is also the fear that some of the respondents intentionally mislead the polling firms. What is not in dispute, and all the polls reveal it, is the widespread discontent with the rising cost of living and corruption. To what extent these issues that keep topping the list of people’s concerns, will translate into loss of votes for the government on election day, remains to seen. For the moment, the public’s broader mistrust of polls, politics and the media, impedes the effort of pollsters to accurately assess the people’s sentiment and the dynamics shaping the country’s political reality. |
 The Hellenic Statistical Authority confirmed the pessimistic forecast of Eurostat, with the latest data placing the upward rate of the national consumer price index at 5.2%. The main driver behind these increases are rising prices for fuel, services, and several categories of food including raw meat, fish, and vegetables. The profit caps placed by the government on several supermarket products and fuel have somewhat successfully contained prices, but these measures are only temporarily effective and fail to alter the structural and chronic problems facing the domestic market. |
|
| “The Euronext Athens (ATHEX) general index closed at 2,421.69 points, up 2.80% from last week. With the latest gains, the benchmark has reached its highest level since December 2009.” |
| “The Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) has classified tax debts worth 6 billion euros as uncollectable. This brings the total amount of written off debts to 41 billion euros, out of a total of 114.5 billion euros of overdue tax revenues.” |
| “Liquefied Natural Gas imports have supplanted Russian and Azeri gas imports as the dominant energy source over the first five months of the year. Specifically, LNG covered 64.3% of domestic demand, with the share of Russian gas dropping to 24.4% (from 44.6% at the end of 2025) and Azeri gas slipping by 4.5% to 14.7%.” |
|
Editor's Pick In both Greece and Turkey, the keyboards of hatred and irrational aggravation can easily be fired up. A trivial incident can turn into something major within seconds, before accusations of “betrayal” start being thrown aroundRead the article |
| We’d like to hear from youShare your feedback at newsletters@ekathimerini.com |
| Did you receive this email from a friend?Subscribe to our newsletters here |
No comments:
Post a Comment