A candidate who ran for parliament under PASOK in the 2023 elections and a member of the Piraeus Pharmacists’ Association has been arrested by authorities, as he is allegedly the ringleader of a criminal organization dismantled by the Organized Crime Division for felony fraud against EOPYY (Greece’s National Health Services Organization) through false prescriptions and fictitious prescription fulfillment.
The psychiatrist, the family doctor, and the pharmacy owners/managers
The operation was carried out on the morning of Thursday, July 2, by the Economic Crime Subdivision, in cooperation with the National Organization for Medicines (EOF), across areas of Attica. During the operation, the alleged ringleader of the organization was arrested, while nine additional individuals are named in the case file, including a psychiatrist, a family physician employed at public hospitals, and pharmacy owners and managers.
Criminal charges have been filed against them — depending on each individual’s involvement — for participation in a criminal organization, fraud, forgery, false certification, unlawful processing of personal data, money laundering, and violations of narcotics legislation.
Six years of criminal activity
The months-long police investigation was launched following a formal complaint by EOPYY and revealed that the organization had been operating from at least March 2020 through April 2026.
According to the Hellenic Police, the members had clearly defined roles and operated with a structured hierarchy, with the sole objective of systematically defrauding EOPYY through false prescriptions, forgeries, and fictitious prescription fulfillments, generating substantial illegal financial gains in the process.
How the fraud scheme worked
The ring allegedly exploited the social security numbers (AMKA) of insured individuals who had not activated the digital e-prescription system, ensuring that the legitimate beneficiaries had no way of knowing that prescriptions were being issued in their names.
These prescriptions were then fictitiously fulfilled, with the signatures of the insured parties being forged. In this way, those involved collected the corresponding reimbursements from EOPYY, while the pharmaceutical products, according to authorities, were channeled into the market through the pharmacies implicated in the scheme, generating additional illicit profits.
More than 5,400 ghost prescriptions
The investigation has confirmed a total of 5,429 fraudulently issued prescriptions, while the financial damage sustained by EOPYY exceeds €405,000.
The role of the doctors and pharmacists
The police investigation established that pharmacy owners and managers were active participants in the criminal organization, along with two physicians who allegedly leveraged their professional status to facilitate the operation of the scheme.
What was seized during the searches
The following items were confiscated during the searches conducted:
- 240 packages of pharmaceutical products that had been illegally prescribed, including medications containing controlled substances,
- €1,200 in cash,
- a large volume of prescriptions, medical opinions, health booklets, handwritten notes, drug authenticity strips, and medication barcodes,
- a laptop computer,
- a mobile phone, and
- a passenger vehicle.
The arrested individual was brought before the competent prosecutorial authority, while the investigation by authorities continues in order to fully probe the case.
