A number of police officers serving in the migration services have been transferred to other departments, in response to an investigation published by To Vima, according to which officers are involved in human trafficking rings. One of these suspect officers had also served for many years in the counter-terrorism service.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Order and police command are awaiting the findings of the internal affairs investigation into allegations of bribery amongst high-ranking police officers in relation to assisting human trafficking rings. It appears that the investigation, which began in early 2014, was expedited after the publication of To Vima’s report.
According to the investigation, it appears that two to three Turkish nationals who are in charge of human trafficking rings were in contact officers in the Police and National Intelligence Agency (EYP). EYP had ordered an investigation into the matter in 2013, which revealed that the traffickers were being supplied with forged travel documents and certificates.
Some police officers have claimed that they have established contact with Turkish traffickers as “informants”, in order to draw information and that they were unaware of the investigation being carried out.
