File photo.
Two regional government employees were convicted on Tuesday and sentenced to nearly seven years in prison for accepting bribes to expedite residency permits and citizenship decisions for migrants.
The case, involving the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia-Thrace, was uncovered by northern Greece’s Internal Affairs Unit following complaints filed in 2019. Investigators reviewed hundreds of intercepted phone calls.
Bribes typically amounted to €250, plus gifts including wine and free home renovation work. A third employee received 6.5 years for acting as intermediary. Six others received suspended sentences. Of 38 defendants, 29 were acquitted.
