VZCZCXRO9093
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHIK #0022 0672053
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 072053Z MAR 08
FM AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0322
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHIK/AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI 0356

UNCLAS THESSALONIKI 000022 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SMIG GR
SUBJECT: NORTHERN GREEK FORMER MAYOR SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR ROLE IN 
FACILITATING PROSTITUTION 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: On February 11, the Thrace Appeals Court 
imposed prison sentences on the former mayor of Sapes 
(northeastern Greek Municipality of Rodopi) and three other 
people for their roles in the issuing of fraudulent documents to 
foreigners, some of whom were females involved in prostitution. 
Three members of the local police (including the head of the 
department at the time) have also been charged, but not yet 
tried.  Thrace contacts say there is not yet any evidence that 
the case involved trafficking, but this possibility has not been 
ruled out.  It is the first time, in post's knowledge, that an 
elected official has been prosecuted for a case involving 
prostitution or trafficking in northern Greece. END SUMMARY 
 
¶2.  (SBU) According to Thrace police, in the summer of 2001, the 
municipal council of the town of Sapes (a small agricultural 
town in the northeastern Greek Prefecture of Rodopi) issued 
fraudulent documents to 173 foreign inhabitants of the area 
which helped them obtain residence permits.  Some of the 
recipients were women offering sex services in a night club of a 
nearby village (Velkio).  The case came to light when one of the 
women involved approached the prosecutor and told her story.  On 
February 11 the court sentenced the owner of the club (G. 
Tsakiris) to nine years and 4 months imprisonment for pandering 
 
SIPDIS 
and  bribery and the former mayor of the town (N. Haritopoulos) 
to two years imprisonment for "passive" bribery (being aware of 
bribery without reporting it) and breach of duty.  Additionally, 
two other people were sentenced to 24 and 17 months 
respectively.  All of those convicted are free pending appeal. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The head of the local police department and two other 
policemen have also been charged in the case, but no date has 
been set for their trial.  NGO and police contacts have informed 
post that the alleged role of the local police in the case is 
unclear and that details may not emerge before the trial.  The 
trial will be closely watched since prosecution of law 
enforcement or government officials in Greece is extremely rare. 
 NGO and other post contacts say they have seen no indications 
that the women involved in the case were victims of trafficking. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) COMMENT: To post's knowledge, this is the first time 
in northern Greece a mayor or other prominent elected official 
has been tried and convicted of involvement in prostitution or 
trafficking. The case is also notable because the convicted 
former mayor, Haritopoulos, is reportedly a close associate of 
opposition PASOK party leader, George Papandreou (who reportedly 
was Haritopoulos's best man and godfather of his son).  Local 
post contacts expressed the hope that the case will mark the end 
of an era during which a combination of apathy and collusion 
allowed official corruption to flourish in Thrace. The expected 
trial of the police and its outcome will help determine further 
whether this hope is justified.  Post will continue to monitor 
the case, including efforts to ascertain whether it involved 
trafficking. 
 
YEE