Policeman, civil servant among 24 arrested over sham marriage racket

Law enforcement authorities in the Greek capital have arrested 24 people so far in an ongoing operation to crack down on a racket that provided women from the former Eastern bloc with European work and residence permits through sham marriages.

A police source quoted by the ANA-MPA news agency said that three civil servants, two notaries, a lawyer and a police officer are among those arrests, while a second lawyer is believed to be involved in the scheme.

The same source said that investigators have also found evidence pointing to dozens of illegal adoptions, false paternity claims and pandering.

"This is a big and complex case, and it will take some time before we can solve it completely," the source told ANA-MPA.