The case that shook Atoloakarnania and brings to light the flimsy core of the state’s operation takes a new, dramatic turn: An official order by the Black Money Laundering Authority freezes for 15 working days all bank accounts, safe deposit boxes and financial products of key members of the ring allegedly operating through the structures of EFKA Agrinio.

The provisional freezing concerns persons who allegedly obtained unreasonably high sums of money from their participation in an extensive criminal organization, which illegally interfered in favor of citizens in the committees of KEFA, falsely presenting them as seriously ill in order to collect disability benefits. As highlighted in the document, this action is urgent to prevent the transfer or concealment of assets.

The history of the case illustrates the long-standing pathogenesis of the Greek State. The investigation by the Internal Affairs Service of the Hellenic Police revealed a well-established circuit that appears to have operated with absolute organization and role allocation: from the recruitment of “clients”, the creation of false medical records and the administration of drugs, to the physical “transformation” of applicants into bedridden persons with the help of special patents and the involvement of officials in critical posts.

The accused in the case are seven people –five women and two men – who were brought before the Agrinion interrogator to answer. The proceedings lasted hours, as the file is voluminous, including photos, telephone conversations, detailed payment tables and deposit receipts. The investigation of other persons who may have been occasionally involved in the activities of the spiral is ongoing.

The alleged leader, a 58-year-old private citizen from Agrinio, is presented as the key person: according to the indictment, she received the money, directed the “staging” of the fraud, and took care of the “care” of benefit claimants – from patches and catheters to the application of betadine to heels, to make the “sufferers” look like real cataclysmic people.

The ultimate staging of the scam

As the case file shows, the ring had set up a well-crafted theatre of deception. Elderly “clients” arrived at health boards in wheelchairs, carrying bandages, patches, and obvious traces of drugs suggesting motor or neurological problems. The script was carefully thought out: the relatives, trained by members of the organization, described in detail supposedly daily difficulties, conveying a picture of total disability.

Without the possibility of on-the-spot checks or verification of the claims, CECs approved the applications, leading to the payment of disability benefits. From there, some of the money ended up as “fees” in the hands of the organization.

The case that unravelled the tangle was almost cinematic: an elderly man who was allegedly labelled “totally paralysed” and had received disability benefits was spotted a few weeks later, dancing on the dance floor at a village fair. This incident was the start of the complaints that led to the first investigations.

Analysis of bank transactions revealed suspicious money flows: remittances to relatives, deposits in minors’ accounts, cash movement through safe-deposit boxes, and purchases of luxury goods that did not match declared incomes. In one case, a person involved is alleged to have deposited €80,000 in an investment platform in Cyprus, while in another case, repeated deposits were found in the accounts of related persons, without documenting the origin of the amounts.

The Money Laundering Authority, following the money trail, found an organized effort to cover up and disperse the funds, which strengthened the evidence of money laundering and led to the imposition of freezes.