A phone call to the authorities and a random ‘meeting’ of police officers with a businessman outside the Tax Office of Chalkida were the two key points in revealing the action of the tax officials’ circuit that operated in Chalkida and blackmailed businessmen by obtaining large sums of money.
The ‘front man’ of the group that was dismantled by the ‘Indifferents’ of the EL.AS. was the head of the Tax Office who, together with employees, processors and accountants, tracked down the target entrepreneurs and demanded large sums of money so that they would not block the returns and collect the debts as they should.
The countdown to dismantle the group and arrest its members began in late November 2023 when an unknown person called the authorities and reported two employees of the Public Financial Service of Chalkida for persistent actions.
According to the allegations, an employee of the Revenue Department, unknown otherwise, in cooperation with her supervisor, demanded and received large sums of money in order not to block refunds and not to collect debts as they should.
In addition, the complainant stated that he himself also handed over the sum of five thousand 5,000 euros to free himself from their extortion, noting that the arrangements were made in the office of the aforementioned official.
A police investigation followed from which the action of a hierarchically structured criminal organisation with an operational structure and distinct roles was established, which was engaged in facilitations, omissions or acts of procedures of tax competence contrary to the official duties of the officials involved as well as in the extortion of businessmen by taking advantage of their status, demanding either in the context of mutual agreement or extortion, amounts of money as consideration.
The envelope containing EUR 10 000
The random ‘meeting’ of the police officers with a businessman at noon on Tuesday (21/5) outside the Tax Office was also decisive in establishing the case.
In particular, the policemen spotted a citizen entering the tax office holding an envelope in his hands. When the citizen exited the D.O.Y. Chalkida, they approached him, they immobilised him and in their question, he told them that he handed over to the Head of the D.O.Y. Chalkida, within her office, a closed envelope, white in colour, which contained 10,000 euros, after extortion by tax officials for damage to his business.
In fact, he said he had done it again on May 17, 2024, acting under the instructions of the supervisor. Indeed, in a search carried out in the office of the supervisor, the sum of 10,000 euros was found and seized, as well as the envelope in which the citizen in question had apparently delivered the above amount.
The notes with the amounts:
Copies of cases were also taken from the contractual file of the D.O.Y. of Chalkida, where individuals paid money, in order to carry out a thorough tax audit.
In a notebook seized during the investigation carried out in the office of the chief, handwritten notes with names of members of the organisation and those involved, which emerged during the investigation, dates and amounts of money written next to them.
In particular, the names BAR., DTA., ‘LINA’, ‘SPYROS’ were written down, with indicated amounts next to them ranging from 250 to 11,000 and dates from 4-11-2020 to May 2024.
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