Uninsured elderly benefit with fake certificates received or attempted to receive from the Organization of Social Solidarity Privileged Benefits dozens of elderly expats from Georgiawho were referred to be tried at the Three-member Criminal Court of Thessaloniki.

According to the case file, they presented forged documents, translated into Greek, allegedly issued by the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Protection of Georgia, certifying that they are not registered in the records of the Pension Sector of that country and do not receive an old age or disability pension and no other allowance.

The case file includes a total of 85 defendants (men and women), two of whom have passed away.

The acts appear to have been committed in the 2018/19 season, while the offenses they are charged with are the use of a forgery, obtaining a false certificate (attempted and committed) and fraud, all misdemeanors.

Many of them, according to the indictment, managed to get the benefits in question, more than 200 euros/month, with the amount of the alleged fraud exceeding 13,000 euros in some cases.

Some did not succeed in becoming beneficiaries of the allowance because employees of the competent service of the Central Macedonia Region requested a verification of the authenticity of the certificates.

All the cases included in the indictment were checked by the Greek Embassy in Tbilisi and it was found that the supporting documents were not issued by the competent authority of Georgia nor did they bear the required stamp.

The case was set to be tried next April, after a (new) adjournment which was granted today.