The Mykonos Mafia: It’s About Big Money ᐉ News from Fakti.bg – World

The Greek island of Mykonos is a magical place. But behind the idyllic facade lies a mafia network involving construction magnates, bar owners, hoteliers, local politicians and police officers.

Athens’ promise to restore the rule of law on the island of Mykonos and effectively combat illegal construction there has not been fulfilled – the Kathimerini newspaper, which is often favorable to the ruling conservative New Democracy party, wrote last week. and almost always to the country’s liberal Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The publication specifies that this task is not easy, as “large interests and influential people” are involved in corruption, but adds that the authorities must still show the necessary determination in the fight against corruption.

The mafia intimidates the obstacles and even kills them

The German newspaper “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” has covered the subject extensively. (FAC). It notes that “despite numerous inspections and revelations by the police on the island, the corrupt machinations in the field of urban planning continue in full swing. There are very few, if any, cases in which illegal construction projects have been stopped or significant fines have been imposed.”

In summer, Mykonos is full of tourists, but outside the active season it is magical, writes FAC. Behind the idyllic facade, however, lurks a construction mafia that is pouring concrete on the island without any concern for the consequences. And woe betide anyone who dares to stand in its way.

Two cases have recently attracted particular attention, the German publication points out. One of them is that of Manolis Psaros, an archaeologist from the Hellenic Antiquities Office. It comes into play when pieces of stone, clay or other ancient relics are discovered during construction. And in some parts of Greece, similar finds can turn up almost every time you shovel, FAC explains.

Last year, Manolis Psaros reported cases of illegal construction. And a civil servant like Psaros, who can stop or at least delay construction projects in court, is a thorn in the side of some. He was nearly beaten to death in Athens by two unknown assailants. The attack shocked the entire country and soon after, detectives were sent to the island. They began to dismantle a whole network of corrupt construction magnates, club owners, hoteliers, landlords, local politicians and police officers with good connections to corrupt officials in the central government.

A few weeks ago, another attack, also in Athens, shocked the Greeks even more. A surveyor who had worked as an expert on Mykonos for decades, was shot there. The attacker managed to escape and hide, FAC specifies.

Rich people from all over the world go to Mykonos

The motives for the alleged contract killing are not entirely clear, but it is known that there is a lot of money involved on Mykonos. The dozens of five-star hotels attract wealthy clients from all over the world, who arrive on direct flights from Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Doha and more. And while there are hundreds of hotels on the island, new ones are being built all the time. One of the most recent investments is for 200 million euros: a subsidiary of the German Otto Group is going to build a new luxury complex on an area of ​​almost 200,000 square meters. Meanwhile, prices for luxury homes on Mykonos reach 7,000 euros per square meter, with clients paying more than 30,000 euros per square meter for the best properties, FAC reports.

Usually, such deals are made on the edge or outright outside the law. Famous Greek journalist Tassos Teloglu recently revealed details of how the mafia scheme works, involving planners, engineers and corrupt officials. They use a law that allows buildings built illegally in Greece before July 2011 to be legalized retroactively – after moderate fines have been paid to the state. The fines are considerably lower for buildings built before 1982. That is why on Mykonos, buildings built long after 2011 are systematically entered in the registers as having been built considerably earlier. Fraud can be easily proven – by checking with Google Maps when a building appeared on the map.

The uncontrolled growth of the tourist base of Mykonos is not without consequences for the residents and for the tourists themselves: the existing infrastructure on the island is not geared to the rapid development. For example, the sewage network has been overloaded more than once during the active season, FAC recalls. The result: streams of feces gushing out from under the manhole covers of the streets. An experience that wealthy tourists will not soon forget.