Seven individuals involved in the Rhodes Urban Planning case are facing 13 felony charges. They were arrested, questioned, and then released yesterday under certain conditions. The charges include offenses such as forming and participating in a criminal organization, forgery, bribery, accepting bribes, breach of duty (repeatedly and professionally), embezzling documents, concealing monuments, illegal possession of weapons, false certification, and moral instigation, among others. The President of the Supreme Court, Ioanna Klapa, has requested a disciplinary investigation into the investigating judge and prosecutor who decided to release the seven accused.
The two private individuals (a civil engineer and an architect) and the five senior officials from the Urban Planning department, who have been suspended, issued “expedited permits” and building licenses without meeting the required conditions in exchange for bribes ranging from €1,000 to €100,000. The investigation into their activities, which were well known due to the service being called “ATM” by locals, began following complaints in June 2024, at which point the confidentiality of the involved parties was lifted.
The investigation into the Urban Planning ring has revealed indications of a parallel network involved in issuing foreign language certificates for a fee on the island.
One of the conversations recorded during the investigation into the Urban Planning ring suggests the existence of a parallel network for issuing foreign language certificates for a fee on the island. According to the conversation, the “mastermind” of the network was collaborating with language centers and providing ready answers to exams for €1,200. The candidates only needed to copy the answers in their handwriting, while members of the network also evaluated the oral exams.
What is fyi.news?
