Free on bail after their pleas before the European Investigating Judge, ten of the 17 defendants from Northern Greece were released under restrictive conditions in the case of a criminal organisation that allegedly received illegal subsidies from the OPEKEPE for a number of years.
After lengthy pleas, ten defendants who were brought to the Evelpidon Courts this morning, were found by the Investigating Judge and the appointed European Public Prosecutor to be temporarily released on the restrictive conditions of not leaving the country and the obligation to appear at a Police Station at regular intervals. One of the ten was also deemed to be ordered to pay a financial bail.
Along with the ten, the first group found for pleas, two other accused were brought to the courts today who asked the magistrate for a new deadline. Thus, they will plead tomorrow with the second group who will give explanations.
All the accused who were before the investigating magistrate, who according to the case file had a peripheral role in the operation of the criminal organisation under investigation, deny the charges against them.
According to reports, some of them appear to have declared complete ignorance of illegal acts carried out with their own assets. “I trusted the wrong people and saw my personal information being used by third parties behind my back,” a female defendant appears to claim.
‘Another accused, who works as a private employee, claims that no money was ever credited to his account by the OPEKEPE.
The apology proceedings will continue tomorrow, when seven accused are to appear before the investigating magistrate. Five of them, according to the prosecution, had a leading role in the running of the group.
The case file states that the five-year activity of the organisation provided its members with a total illegal benefit estimated at €4.5 million.
The majority of the 17 come from the prefectures of Thessaloniki and Serres and several defendants are linked by family ties.
