Greek Migration Ministry Refutes Claims On Mishandling Of New Migrant Facility - Reports

The Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum refuted on Friday an international organization's recent report that accused the ministry of financially mismanaging the construction of a migrant facility in the village of Malakasa, located near the capital of Athens, and mishandling its overall policy on migration, the Ekathimerini daily reported

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2020) The Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum refuted on Friday an international organization's recent report that accused the ministry of financially mismanaging the construction of a migrant facility in the village of Malakasa, located near the capital of Athens, and mishandling its overall policy on migration, the Ekathimerini daily reported.

On Wednesday, the Greek media outlet said it had acquired a leaked confidential report by the international organization, without specifying its name, that claimed the country's Migration Ministry overpriced the construction of the new reception facility in Malakasa. It went on to further accuse the ministry of failing to create a competent administrative structure and of transferring migrants to the mainland amid the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in an inefficient response to the migration crisis.

The ministry, in turn, said it had "no knowledge" of the report, according to the newspaper.

As for the claims about the Malakasa migrant facility, the Greek Migration and Asylum Ministry said, as cited by the media outlet, that the construction of the temporary camp had cost 23 percent less than the corresponding project under the previous administration, considering additional costs and the fact that it was being built amid a pandemic.

According to the ministry, "it is natural" to have differences with international organizations when it comes to the refugee crisis.

There are about 43,000 migrants in the camps, which have the capacity for 6,000, on the Lesbos, Chios and Samos islands. They have limited access to food and health care, and deplorable sanitary conditions. Notably, the current situation in the Greek migrant camps is among the worst in the world.