An employee of Greece’s National Social Security Fund (EFKA) was arrested in central Athens this week “red handed”, according to police, while in the act of receiving a demanded bribe by a citizen.
Video emerged of the arrest and was widely broadcast in the local media.
According to police, the 49-year-old civil servant demanded 4,000 euros from a 56-year-old woman in order to accelerate the process for issuing a disability pension to the latter’s mother.
A subsequent search of the suspect’s residence turned up roughly 62,000 euros bundled in rolls of 50-euro notes. When pressed over the existence of the cache of cash, the EFKA employee claimed the money was savings.
Scenes from the arrest show both women in parked vehicle, with police later emerging from an unmarked car, a tax and atop motorcycles.
The money allegedly exchanged in the vehicle with a simple manila folder consisted of marked bills, police said.
Bribery and corruption charges were initially filed against the EFKA employee, who remained jailed on Friday.