Source of Wealth Declarations for Greek Public Officials Made Easier

Greece is advancing its digitization of public administration processes, and as part of this initiative, it has upgraded the platform used by public officials and certain private sector professionals for submitting Source of Wealth declarations.

Source of Wealth Declarations

A new joint ministerial decision will allow the platform to automatically retrieve data related to officials’ bank deposits, income sources, loans, vehicles, boats, business shares, properties, and other assets.

This upgrade serves a dual purpose: to simplify the process for those required to complete the form and to enhance the detection of potential corruption.

Authorities remain on-the-lookout for ‘red flags’ that might indicate ill-gotten gains, such as significant discrepancies between declared income and expenditures.

The collected information will be automatically input into a form available on the platform, which was previously completed manually. Officials will now only need to verify its accuracy, according to a report by AMNA.

High-ranking public officials, including members of parliament, ministers, mayors, regional governors, judges, prosecutors, senior military and police officers, certain public contractors, heads of public interest organizations, and officials in sensitive sectors such as media and finance, as well as their spouses, are required to complete these forms.

Persistent Perception of Corruption in Greece

Despite the Greek government’s efforts to combat corruption, at least at the level of source of wealth declarations, 98% of Greeks believe corruption is widespread in the country, far above the EU average of 68%, according to a recent Eurobarometer report.

This places Greece at the top in perceived corruption, ahead of other countries like Portugal and Slovenia. Over the past three years, 53% of Greeks feel corruption has worsened, while only 5% believe it has improved, in contrast to European averages.

The survey also underscores deep distrust toward Greek institutions. A notable 71% of Greeks perceive political parties as corrupt, compared to 53% in the EU. Additionally, 68% believe politicians misuse their power for personal gain, and 67% express concerns over officials managing public contracts, much higher than EU averages.

The healthcare system is viewed as particularly corrupt by 89% of Greeks, compared to just 27% across Europe. These findings reflect a pervasive distrust, with many Greeks feeling their institutions are compromised by corruption.

Source: tovima.com