700 of the 32.000 residents of Lefkada, an island in the Ionian Sea, claim that they are blind, many of them from birth, and have been receiving health care benefits for many years.
This high rate (2% of the population) drew the attention of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity. It was initially believed that this high rate was due to an epidemic that broke out years ago, until research on the subject began. It was soon discovered that many fraudulent certificates of disability were given by committees during pre-election periods, possibly as attempts to garner votes.
These health care benefits each year cost 6.4 billion euro to the taxpayers. Controls have been established to find out who violated the law and will be held accountable for the deception.
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