Greece to replace SDOE with new anti-financial crime directorate
Greece’s Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) is abolishing the Financial and Economic Crime Unit (SDOE) and replacing it with a new enforcement body featuring specialised units to combat smuggling and tax evasion, officials said.
Following the full integration of SDOE into AADE in October, the authority has removed the unit from its organisational structure and established the General Directorate for the Enforcement of Economic Transactions (GD DEOS).
Under a decision by AADE chairman Giorgos Pitsilis, the new directorate is expected to become fully operational in March 2026.
The new structure will include three types of regional units operating nationwide: Special Economic Audit Units in Attica and Macedonia focusing on economic crime and corruption; Special Tax Audit Units in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and Heraklion targeting large-scale tax evasion; and Special Customs Audit Units in Attica and Thessaloniki focusing on smuggling and customs fraud.
The directorate’s mandate will also cover cases involving illegal trafficking of drugs, weapons and cultural artefacts, as well as capital movement violations.
AADE said the new body will work closely with international agencies including OLAF, INTERPOL and EUROPOL, while operating on a 24/7 basis.
