Psomiadis brothers indicted on corruption charges

The former Thessaloniki prefect Panayiotis Psomiadis and his brother Dionysis have been indicted on charges of breach of faith and making false statements.

A Thessaloniki corruption prosecutor said the brothers - who served respectively as prefect and deputy prefect of Thessaloniki - were involved in so-called "ghost" projects which cost the state 1.2 million euros in damages during Psomiadis's term in office.

More specifically, 82 seasonal employees were hired in the period stretching from 2007 to 2010 to work on eight information technology projects. The employees were fully paid but the projects never materialized despite claims by Thessaloniki prefecture authorities that they had.