Greek fire-aid 'fraudsters' held

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Fifteen people have been arrested in Greece on suspicion of making false claims for aid money offered after the worst forest fires in decades.

The Greek government is trying to clamp down on possible fraud as criticism grows that its emergency compensation scheme is open to widespread abuse.

Some 72m euros (£49m; $99m) of aid has been given to 20,000 people this week.

The Greek government, which faces polls in two weeks, says it is trying to cut red tape after the devastating fires.

"The order is 'move fast', without any delay," Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said.

"We're removing bureaucratic hurdles. Nothing should stand in the way of us doing our duty."

<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/europe_enl_1188468287/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/europe_enl_1188468287/html/1.stm', '1188468357', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=550,height=613,left=312,top=100'); return false;"></a>Satellite images show how the spread of the fires has changed<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/europe_enl_1188468287/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/europe_enl_1188468287/html/1.stm', '1188468357', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=550,height=613,left=312,top=100'); return false;" >Enlarge Image</a>

Thousands of people have been queuing at banks in fire-stricken regions of Greece to claim the one-off aid payment of 3000 euros (£2,000; $4,000).

Claimants were initially able to withdraw money after filling out a simple affidavit, stating they had lost property in the fire, and producing a single piece of identification.

The government has said the veracity of the claims would be checked later.

Responding to concerns of fraud, it has in the meantime introduced an extra requirement for claimants to produce a proof of address.

Response criticised

As well as the 15 arrests, some 60 people have been detained so far on suspicion of falsifying claims.

According to the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens, the prospect of instant cash was just too good to miss for some people.

I spent Saturday night on the roof of my house watching a fire steadily progressing down the mountain towards us PatienceBBC News website reader in Kalamata <a class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=7176&edition=2&ttl=20070827092413">Send us your comments</a> <a class="" href="/1/hi/business/6968799.stm">Economic toll of Greece fires</a> <a class="" href="/1/hi/world/europe/6966518.stm">Greeks face fire dilemma</a>

There have been several reports of banks in the fire-hit south-western region of Greece being swamped by people from further afield - some even from the north of the country.

The government's response to the fires - and its suggestion that they were the result of a terror-style campaign of arson - has drawn widespread criticism.

Recent opinion polls have suggested a slip in the lead the government had enjoyed when it decided to call early elections.

Prime Minister Karamanlis' New Democracy is now only narrowly ahead of the opposition Socialists, opinion polls say.

Rebuilding pledge

The forest fires destroyed more than 500 homes, killed 63 people and left thousands homeless.

Though most of the fires have been extinguished, there are fears that a fresh heat wave could reignite blazes.

There have been 120 major forest fires this year, compared with just 52 in 2006.

Officials say some 190,000 hectares (469,000 acres) of forest land have been destroyed in the fires - an area the size of the US state of Rhode Island.

The area is 10 times the annual average destroyed in fires over the last 50 years, European officials say.

Prime Minister Karamanlis has pledged to act fast in restoring power to devastated villages and rebuilding houses.

The authorities believe some of the fires were started deliberately, and more than 30 people have been arrested so far.

A 1m Euro (£680,000) reward has been offered to help catch those responsible.