Appellate public prosecutor lodges appeal against judgement for Mati fire

Appellate-level public prosecutor Spyros Pappas on Wednesday lodged an appeal against the entirety almost of the court ruling regarding the devastating fire in Mati, except for that section relating to the private citizen that started the fire and caused the disaster.

This asks for a review of the court's decision to acquit more than a dozen people accused in relation to the case, as well as of the sentences imposed and the mitigating circumstances admitted for those found guilty, effectively asking that it be examined from scratch.

The appeal against the judgement of the Three-Member Misdemeanours Court, which incensed the victims of the catastrophe of July 2018, was lodged following the intervention of the Supreme Court Prosecutor and the head of the appellate public prosecutors department. Apart from the acquittals of a number of municipal and regional government officials and fire brigade officers, the appeal seeks a review of the sentences imposed and the decision to convert these to a fine set at roughly 10 euros a day.

Five senior fire brigade officers were found guilty, including the former fire brigade chief. The court also convicted Penteli resident Konstantinos Aggelopoulos, who started the fire. The charges included the homicide through negligence of 102 people killed in the fire, the injury through negligence of a further 32 people and the deaths of nine people who drowned at sea.

Efforts are being made to write up the ruling by the end of the month, so that the secondary-level trial can begin as quickly as possible.