Criminal charges filed against 22 suspects in major social security fraud case

Prosecutors have brought criminal charges against 22 suspects accused of participating in a large-scale fraud scheme targeting EFKA, allegedly causing losses estimated at €11 million.

The suspects were arrested following an operation by the Hellenic Police Organized Crime Unit and were brought before a prosecutor, who filed multiple felony charges.

According to judicial authorities, the charge include forming and participating in a criminal organization, large-scale fraud exceeding €120,000, and forgery carried out jointly and on a continuous basis.

Additional charges involve submitting false declarations and registering misleading documents with General Commercial Registry (GEMI), as well as extensive tax evasion. Prosecutors allege the suspects issued and accepted fictitious tax documents for non-existent transactions, involving amounts exceeding €75,000 and €200,000.

They also face charges of repeated tax evasion involving unpaid taxes above €50,000 and €100,000, along with aggravated money laundering offenses.

Misdemeanor charges included in the case concern the failure to pay employer social security contributions on time and the procurement of narcotics for personal use.

The case file has been assigned to an investigating judge, before whom the accused are expected to appear to give their statements in the coming days.