The trial for over a dozen police officers charged with running a mafia-style protection ring begins Wednesday, with the first group of defendants appearing before the Corruption Investigation Unit.
The criminal ring allegedly sold “protection” to brothels and casinos, charging €800–3,000 a pop to provide insider information or prevent police inspections. They also reportedly created fake companies that evaded Value Added Tax and caused an estimated €20 million loss to the state from a total turnover of €84 million.
Prosecutors found that the ring, which involved at least 70 individuals, included 13 police officers. The charges against the group include forming a criminal organization, bribery, breach of duty, aggravated fraud, and pimping.
Ten of the 19 arrested will give their first testimonies today, while the initial testimonies for the rest are scheduled for Thursday.
The investigation into the ring began after an anonymous email reported the illegal activities of a 37-year-old police officer of the Financial Police who allegedly played a central role, acting as an intermediary between the leader of the organization and law enforcement. She reportedly started her involvement while serving in Mykonos during the COVID-19 pandemic. This officer also allegedly included providing selective enforcement of laws and fabricating audits to favor those who paid the ring. She was arrested after security footage revealed her showing classified documents and suspect images during a private meeting with a suspected criminal at a Keratsini restaurant last September.
As revelations about the ring come out in the media, there have been further allegations about possible connections between this criminal ring with other high profile cases.
Particularly there are accusations that this ring was involved in the case of repeated sexual assault and trafficking of a 12-year-old girl in Kolonos. One of the brothels protected by the ring is implicated in the Kolonos case.
“Indeed, in one of the statements that the 12-year-old had given, she had even mentioned that she had met a police officer, who had approached her in that area. Just as the 12-year-old’s mother had also told the interrogator about this and had even given the name of the police officer that her daughter had told her. But the investigation had stopped there,” said the lawyer for the 12-year-old.
“The issue of the mother and child’s testimonies on this specific issue must be restarted from the beginning. They should be addressed and we should see who or what others are in this circuit,” he stated.
Additionally, according to OmniaTV, a man identified and present in the fatal beating of gay activist Zak Kostopoulos (known as Zackie Oh) has been identified as a key figure in the organization. Despite evidence and direct involvement in the killing of Zak Kostopoulos, the police first reported they were unable to locate the individual, and though he was later located he never testified in the trial. Four police officers who had been charged with fatal bodily harm in the killing were acquitted on all charges.
This explosive case points to extensive corruption involving law enforcement and connections to broader criminal networks.
“The investigation by the police officers does not reveal the involvement of either political figures or senior officers,” stated Greek Police spokesperson Constantina Demoglidou on MEGA television.
“There are specific things that were found in each person’s home, a lot of money was found, there are conversations and meetings between police officers and members of the circuit, there is a criminal prosecution by the prosecutor in charge, who apparently thought, with the evidence in his hands, that he can bring this prosecution.”
