Civil servant racketeering gang unraveled

Police have unraveled a criminal gang of people employed in the civil service that extorted or aided catering establishments and hotels to skirt the law, for building permits, the use of tables and seating and other illegalities.

The police investigation identified 47 cases of illegal activity and arrested 14 people. According to estimates, the gang had been active since at least January 2023, making more than 700,000 euros per year.

The gang's members included employees of the municipal police, state building and health services, and an official of the Culture Ministry's Modern Monuments Department, the alleged leader. 

The actions of the civil servants were investigated after a complaint was sent to the Internal Affairs Department last April. The anonymous author claimed to be a businessman in the center of Athens with a restaurant business. 

"For some...