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ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Three leading non-governmental organizations in Greece are protesting "unprecedented attacks" on NGOs in the country following fraud allegations involving publicly funded local groups.
The Greek sections of ActionAid, Greenpeace and the World Wide Fund for Nature say NGOs should not be victimized because of some entities' "lack of transparency and illicit aims."
Thursday's joint statement follows police allegations of multi-million-euro fraud involving a mine-clearing charity and a firefighting volunteer group.
Greece's financial crisis has prompted a series of probes on possible public funds misuse by politicians, bankers and NGOs. This week's crackdown on the now-defunct International Mine Initiative and the Voluntary Corps of Greek Firemen and Reforesters has turned the media spotlight on hundreds of NGOs and charities, none of which have been officially accused of misconduct.
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