Greek Leader Says Scandals Prove His Crackdown Works -Critics Say They Prove the Rot

Facing a wave of corruption scandals less than a year before national elections, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has argued that the revelations are proof his government is cleaning up Greece, not a sign that it is failing to.

"The news is not that illegality exists, but that it is being uncovered and prosecuted in an organized way," Mr. Mitsotakis said at a ceremony

He called those who question the timing of the recent cases "hypocrites."

The unit has handled 1,510 cases, brought charges against 5,454 people and broken up 259 criminal networks, he said.

Its targets range from fuel and cigarette smugglers to rings that operated inside tax offices, town planning offices and prisons.

He said the government's push against tax evasion brought in more than 2.2 billion euros ($2.5 billion) last year.

The stakes are political. In recent weeks, police have arrested the owner of a national bakery chain over an alleged 100-million-euro tax fraud.

They have also detained the founder of a children's charity accused of stealing millions of euros raised for sick children, and civil servants accused of taking bribes for building permits.

Former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, whose new left-wing party is second in opinion polls, has seized on the cases.

He accused Mr. Mitsotakis of presiding over a country "sinking" in corruption, and said the tax agency ignored warnings about the bakery chain.

Mr. Mitsotakis, whose conservative New Democracy leads opinion polls by double digits, is seeking a third term in elections due in 2027.

He said public employees found helping criminal networks will be prosecuted and fired.

"No criminal network is stronger than the state," he said.

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Facing a wave of corruption scandals less than a year before national elections, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has argued that the revelations are proof his government is cleaning up Greece, not a sign that it is failing to.

"The news is not that illegality exists, but that it is being uncovered and prosecuted in an organized way," Mr. Mitsotakis said at a ceremony in Athens marking two years of Greece's elite organized crime unit, widely known as the Greek FBI.

He called those who question the timing of the recent cases "hypocrites."

The unit has handled 1,510 cases, brought charges against 5,454 people and broken up 259 criminal networks, he said.

Its targets range from fuel and cigarette smugglers to rings that operated inside tax offices, town planning offices and prisons.

He said the government's push against tax evasion brought in more than 2.2 billion euros ($2.5 billion) last year.

The stakes are political. In recent weeks, police have arrested the owner of a national bakery chain over an alleged 100-million-euro tax fraud.

They have also detained the founder of a children's charity accused of stealing millions of euros raised for sick children, and civil servants accused of taking bribes for building permits.

Former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, whose new left-wing party is second in opinion polls, has seized on the cases.

He accused Mr. Mitsotakis of presiding over a country "sinking" in corruption, and said the tax agency ignored warnings about the bakery chain.

Mr. Mitsotakis, whose conservative New Democracy leads opinion polls by double digits, is seeking a third term in elections due in 2027.

He said public employees found helping criminal networks will be prosecuted and fired.

"No criminal network is stronger than the state," he said.

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