Greece, up to 8 bln euros paid in bogus pensions
31 October 2011
ATHENS - Up to eight billion euros have been paid in bogus pensions in the past decade in Greece, director of the Social Security Foundation (IKA), Rovertos Spyropoulos said on Monday.
Under immense pressure to cut spending and replenish empty state coffers, the Greek government has found out that millions of euros have been paid to deceased claimants. The money is often claimed by fraudulent relatives or, in some cases, it remains idle in banks. ''We are trying to cut back on waste,'' Spyropoulos told Skai television on Monday adding that the cutback has already saved the foundation over 700 million euros.
The IKA chief said between seven and eight billion euros have been paid to bogus pensions in the last ten years. ''We will reclaim all that money up to the last euro,'' he said. Last August the Greek island of Zakynthos has been dubbed ''the blind island'' by the Greek press after it emerged that 700 residents were allegedly receiving disability pensions as blind people despite being perfectly sighted. Greece's Health Ministry decided to start an investigation after noticing the relatively high number of blind people - about 2% of the total population of 35,000.
Investigators discovered that the blindness certificates were delivered ahead of elections. The pensions delivered to those claiming to blind on Zakynthos cost the Greek state 6.4 million euros a year.
Source: ANSAmed.
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