Mayor of Topeiros Thomas Michoglou suspended amid criminal embezzlement case
Thomas Michoglou, the Mayor of Topeiros, has been suspended from his duties following a decision by the Secretary-General of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace, Ioannis Savvas. The suspension comes after Michoglou was referred as a co-defendant in a criminal case involving embezzlement exceeding €120,000 in a family-related matter, unrelated to his official duties as mayor.
In addition to the suspension, Michoglou has been subjected to a travel ban, prohibiting him from leaving the country. The case is set to be heard at the Court of Appeals for Criminal Cases in Gümülcine in November 2025. Michoglou has appealed a prior unfavorable ruling at the civil courts.
A meeting of the local government’s council is scheduled for Tuesday to appoint an interim mayor from among the five deputy mayors. Sources indicate that Charalampos Koutsomichalis is the leading candidate to assume the role temporarily. The suspension may be lifted earlier if the travel ban is revoked, considering that Michoglou poses no flight risk and intends to fulfill his mayoral responsibilities.
