Following the rejection of all mitigating factors, the court has withdrawn to deliberate on the final sentences, including whether they should be served concurrently and whether any of them might be suspended.

Despite the prosecution’s request to consider the defendants’ otherwise clean records, the judges ruled by a 2–1 vote not to recognise this as a mitigating factor. According to news247, the prosecutor had stated:

“All the defendants have led law-abiding lives until the events of July 2018, with the exception of Mr. Konstantinos Angelopoulos, who has prior convictions. They had careers and reputations and gave no cause to question their integrity. This mitigating factor should be granted to all except Mr. Angelopoulos.”

The court is expected to announce the exact prison terms soon, including whether the sentences will be merged into a single penalty and, crucially, whether they will be suspended.

Those Found Guilty:

  • Sotiris Terzoudis – then head of the Fire Service (manslaughter and bodily harm through negligence)
  • Vasilis Matthaiopoulos – then deputy operations chief (manslaughter and bodily harm through negligence)
  • Ioannis Fostieris – then head of ESKE (Central Coordinating Firefighting Body) (manslaughter and bodily harm through negligence)
  • Christos Golfino – head of the 199 emergency line of the Fire Service (manslaughter and bodily harm through negligence)
  • Filippos Panteleakos – then director of the Civil Protection Operations Centre (manslaughter and bodily harm through negligence)
  • Damianos Papadopoulos – fire chief in Nea Makri (manslaughter and bodily harm through negligence)
  • Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos – commander of Athens Fire Services (manslaughter and bodily harm through negligence)
  • Charalambos Chionis – commander of Eastern Attica Fire Services (manslaughter and bodily harm through negligence)
  • Ioannis Kapakis – General Secretary for Civil Protection (manslaughter and bodily harm through negligence)
  • Konstantinos Angelopoulos – local resident from whose yard the fire is believed to have started (arson)

Acquitted:

The following individuals were acquitted as the court found insufficient grounds to establish intent, which would be required for more serious charges such as felony-level exposure to danger:

  • Rena Dourou – then Governor of Attica
  • Ilias Psinakis – then Mayor of Marathon
  • Antonis Palapatzis, Vaios Thanassias, Dimitris Stergiou-Kapsalis – local government officials
  • Christos Lambris – fire rescue director
  • Christos Drosopoulos – commander of the FLOGA vessel
  • Georgios Portozoudis – commander of YEMS (Medical Emergency Response Unit)
  • Stefanos Kolokouris – then head of EMAK (Special Disaster Response Unit)
  • Charalambos Syrogiannis – former deputy commander of police air operations
  • Evangelos Bournous – then Mayor of Rafina

______________________________________________

Are you seeking news from Greece presented from a progressive, non-mainstream perspective? Subscribe monthly or annually to support TPP International in delivering independent reporting in English. Don’t let Greek progressive voices fade.

Make sure to reference “TPP International” and your order number as the reason for payment.