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The Greek government said Friday it will take legislative action if new withdrawal fees reported at former Piraeus Bank ATMs now operated by private firm Cashflex are confirmed.
“No loophole for withdrawal charges will be tolerated, not even at a portion of ATMs,” government sources told local media, adding, “If two-tiered fees are detected, the government will intervene.”
The controversy follows complaints from customers being charged up to 2.10 euros to withdraw cash from ATMs they previously used for free.
The affected machines, about 850 in total, were sold by Piraeus Bank to Cashflex, in which the bank retains a 20% stake. Many of the ATMs are located in high-traffic public areas such as metro stations, hospitals, supermarkets and airports.
The issue has sparked criticism in parliament. Center-left PASOK MPs Pavlos Geroulanos and Milena Apostolaki accused the government of allowing banks to bypass fee regulations.
Left-wing SYRIZA spokesperson Kostas Zachariadis called the situation “a major scam” and said citizens are being charged even for basic services like balance checks.