Court renders verdicts on deadly 2018 wildfire
A three-member misdemeanors court on Monday issued its verdicts regarding the response to the catastrophic 2018 wildfire in Attica’s seaside town of Mati and nearby areas, which claimed 104 lives and left dozens injured. Among the 21 defendants, six were found guilty.
Specifically, the court found former chief of the Greek Fire Service, Sotiris Terzoudis, guilty of manslaughter by negligence and bodily harm by negligence for diverting a helicopter en route to Mati. The then deputy chief, Vassilis Matthaiopoulos, was found guilty of manslaughter by negligence for the deaths of nine people at sea. Additionally, Ioannis Fostieris, the commander of the Unified Operations Coordination Center (ESKE), was found guilty of manslaughter by negligence. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, the former head of the Attica Fire Services, and Charalambos Chionis, the former commander of the Fire Services of Eastern Attica, were both found guilty of manslaughter by negligence for 102 people and bodily injury by negligence of 32 people. Konstantinos Angelopoulos, a resident of Daou-Penteli from whose house yard the fire started, was also found guilty.
Meanwhile, the court acquitted Fire Service officials Christos Golfinos, Philippos Panteleakos, Damianos Papadopoulos, Christos Lambris, Christos Drosopoulos, Georgios Portozoudis, and Stefanos Kolokouris. It also found not guilty Christos Syrogiannis, then ELAS airborne officer, Ioannis Kapakis, then secretary general of Civil Protection, Rena Dourou, then regional governor of Attica, and the then mayors of Marathonas, Ilias Psinakis, and Penteli, Dimitris-Stergiou Kapsalis.
Despite the prosecution’s proposal to the contrary, the court also acquitted Vaios Thanasias, the then deputy mayor of the Municipality of Marathonas, Evangelos Bournous, the then mayor of Rafina-Pikermi, and Antonis Palpatzis, the then deputy mayor of Rafina-Pikermi.
The verdict announcement triggered an angry reaction among the victims’ relatives and the burn victims present in the courtroom.
“They should have walked into prison on their own. All of them innocent? There is no justice!” exclaimed a relative of a victim, who approached the front of the courtroom and began shouting at the defendants.
“Damned, you have no shame! Not even a single apology,” yelled another relative of a victim, as many others broke into tears.
While the decision was finally issued on Monday, the risk of the statute of limitations looms large. Until the decision becomes final, following any possible appeals to the Supreme Court, the time constraints remain tight.
kathimerini
