A criminal appeals court in Athens fined and offered stiff sentences to five female employees at the Social Security Foundation (IKA) branch of Kallithea, southwestern Athens. The women were found guilty of issuing illegal benefits and bonuses to insured people for over ten years from 2003 through to 2012 when the case was revealed. It is believed that their activities cost the state at least 11 million euros.

An inspection revealed that 7,999 cases of of non-legal payments were made to 1,213 IKA beneficiaries.

The five women – Eleni Bourazani (37-year sentence, 150,000-euro fine), Christina Pateraki (31-year sentence, 150,000-euro fine), Chryssoula Ferra (33-year sentence, 120,000 euros), Myrsini Thomakou (33 years, 120,000 euros) and Christina Souridi (38 years, 150,000 euros) – will have to serve at least 25 years of their sentence.

Ferra’s sentence has been suspended because she is a mother with two minors in her care, but her husband, Panagiotis Alexandros Ematides died during the two-year trial. Another husband, Constantine Karaiskos, married to Bourazani, was sentenced to 4 years and fined 60,000 euros. A sixth woman who was head of IKA’s branch’s section of benefits was found innocent.

Not only will the guilty parties have to pay fines and serve sentences, but 1-million euros worth of each of their assets will be confiscated.

Investigations are still continuing at the Kallithea branch.