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Mailed bullets for Provopoulos

January 17, 2014

The head of Greece's central bank, Giorgos Provopoulos, has received a threatening letter from a hitherto unknown group of extremists. Police said the letter contained bullets. A journalist was also targeted.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Asv9
Greek central bank chief Giorgos Provopoulos
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

On Friday, police said that two rifle bullets were sent to Greek central bank chief Giorgos Provopoulos in a mailed envelope. They added that the bullets, along with a threatening letter, were posted by a previously unknown group called People's Punishers.

Though no further details were given about what exactly the letter said, it became known that a similar envelope also containing two rifle bullets was sent to a prominent journalist from the Greek TV station Mega.

Attacks against politicians, business leaders and journalists have increased of late amid growing public anger at a wealthy elite widely blamed for the nation's protracted debt crisis.

Link to corruption affair?

The head of the central bank is currently associated with a corruption affair surrounding the former Hellenic Postbank.

Last week a prosecutor filed charges against 25 businessmen and officials from the defunct state lender over bad loans the bank issued between 2008 and 2012.

Greek realtors bet on recovery

The Greek banking sector experienced a complete overhaul in 2013 in the wake of a recapitalization program supported by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Hellenic Bank was taken over by the privately run Eurobank as a result of the restructuring scheme.

hg/mkg (Reuters, AFP)