The Greek island of Mykonos is a magical place. But behind the idyllic facade there is a mafia network in which construction magnates, bar owners, hoteliers, local politicians and policemen are involved.
Athens' promise to restore the rule of law on the island of Mykonos and effectively fight against illegal construction there has not been fulfilled - this is what 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, since "big interests and influential people" are involved in corruption, but adds that the authorities must still demonstrate the necessary determination in the fight against corruption.
The mafia intimidates the inconvenient and even kills them
The German newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" dwells on the subject in an extensive publication. (FAC). He notes that "despite numerous inspections and revelations by the police on the island, corrupt machinations in the field of urban planning continue in full force. There are very few, if any, cases where illegal construction projects have been stopped or significant fines have been imposed."
In the summer, Mykonos is full of tourists, but outside the active season it is magical, writes FAC. However, behind the idyllic facade there is a construction mafia that concretes the island without caring at all what the consequences might be. And woe to the one who dares to stand in her way.
Two cases have recently attracted particular attention, the German publication points out. One is by Manolis Psaros, an archaeologist from the Hellenic Antiquities Office. It comes into effect when pieces of stone, clay or other ancient relics are discovered during construction. And in some parts of Greece, similar finds can pop up almost every time you shovel, explains FAC.
Last year, Manolis Psaros reported cases of illegal construction. And an official like Psaros, who before the court can stop or at least delay construction projects, is a thorn in some people's side. He was beaten almost to death in Athens by two unknown assailants. The attack shocked the whole country and shortly afterwards investigators were sent to the island. They began to unravel a whole network of corrupt construction magnates, club owners, hoteliers, landlords, local politicians and policemen with good connections to corrupt officials in the central administration.
A few weeks ago, however, another attack, also carried out in Athens, shocked the Greeks even more. A land surveyor who had been working as an expert on Mykonos for decades was shot there. The attacker managed to escape and hide, specifies FAC.
Rich people from all over the world go to Mykonos
The motives for the alleged contract killing are not very clear, but it is known that a lot of money is involved in Mykonos. The dozens of five-star hotels attract wealthy customers from all over the world, who come with direct flights from Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Doha and more. And although hundreds of hotels have been built on the island, new ones are constantly being built. One of the more recent investments is for 200 million euros: a subsidiary of the German Otto Group will build a new luxury complex on an area of almost 200,000 square meters. Meanwhile, prices in Mykonos for luxury housing reach 7,000 euros per square meter, and for the best properties, customers even pay more than 30,000 euros per square meter, states FAC.
Usually such deals are made on the edge or outright outside the law. The famous Greek journalist Tassos Teloglu revealed some time ago details about how the mafia scheme works, in which planners, construction engineers and corrupt officials are entangled. They use a law that allows buildings built illegally in Greece before July 2011 to be retroactively legalized – after moderate fines are paid to the state. Penalties are significantly lower for buildings built before 1982. Therefore, on Mykonos, buildings built well after 2011 are systematically entered in the registers as having been built significantly earlier. Fraud can be easily proven - by checking with Google Maps when a building appeared on the map.
However, the uncontrolled growth of the tourist base of Mykonos does not remain without consequences for the residents and for the tourists themselves: the existing infrastructure on the island does not correspond to the rapid development. For example, in the active season, the sewage network has already been overloaded more than once, FAC recalls. The result: streams of feces gushing out from under street manhole covers. An experience that rich tourists are unlikely to forget.