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Prostitution in Greece is Legal & Illegal Page 2

Probe Into Huge Prostitution Racket

Public Order Minister vowed yesterday to stamp out corruption in the police force, following allegations that police in central Greece were involved in a huge prostitution racket that mayhave traded in 1,200 foreign women over the last 10 years.

"All of these rackets that shame the Greek police will be crushed," Chrysochoidis said yesterday. "We willget to the root of this."

According to the newspaper Eleftherotypia, which broke the story on Monday, it took the police Internal Affairs department five months of investigations to file two bulky reports which were presented to public prosecutors "a few days ago." According to the newspaper, the racket - which was known locally as the "meat machine" - comprised "businessmen," police of varying ranks as well as an employee of a prosecutor's office who allegedly tried to extort money from the racket. According to testimony, the paper said, "the racket, which was based in Trikala and Karditsa... had moved more than 1,200 women in the last 10 years, with a turnover of more than 35 billion drachmas for all the procurers across Greece."

Among the officers said to be involved were two who were in PASOK MP Christos Mangoufis's personal detail. "I have asked for their resignation and I have their resignations in my pocket," Mangoufis said onMonday. "They said they wanted the truth to shine."

Investigators heard that police officers would visit night clubs in which foreign women were working andwere provided with sexual services for which they did not pay, in return for providing protection to the club.

A few weeks ago a police department employee who reportedly gave information on the racket injured himself in an attempted suicide. After recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound he retracted his earlier claims, Eleftherotypia said on Dec 7, 2000. An infamous day all round.

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