Four convicts sentenced for the deadly fire in Mati are sent to prison and the surrounding areas it left behind 104 dead and dozens more injured.
The Three-Member Court of Appeal for Small Cases with the in its final judgment held that they should not be released, but to serve the prison sentence imposed on them by Sotiris Terzoudis (then Chief of the Fire Brigade), Vassilis Matthaiopoulos (then Deputy Chief), Ioannis Fostieris (then Head of ESKE) and Ioannis Kapakis (then Secretary General of Civil Protection).
“That the sentence for these four defendants be assessed and not commuted. I propose this in the belief that to date none of them have acknowledged in the slightest the responsibility of this act and the cost of their omissions to the citizens they had a duty to protect by virtue of their duties.” the prosecutor had said in her proposal.
«For the 4 defendants are sentenced without parole, without commutation as they are suspected of committing new offences and we will give further reasons in our judgment,» was the court's decision, the president announced.
Recalled that on Wednesday morning, the Chamber of Appeals of the Court of Appeals of Crimes did not recognize any mitigating circumstances to the 10 convicted for the deadly fire in East Attica and Mati in the summer of 2018, which left 104 people dead.
The decision was taken by a majority, with the President, who was of the opinion that certain persons should be granted the mitigating circumstance of a reasonable life, voting against.
For the remaining six convicted persons, the sentence was considered redeemable for EUR 10 per day.
It is recalled that Sotiris Terzoudis, Vassilis Matthaiopoulos, Ioannis Fostieris and Ioannis Kapakis were sentenced to 340 years imprisonment, while Chr.Golfinos, Phil.Panteleakos, Dan.Papadopoulos, Nik.Panagiotopoulos and Char.Hionis were sentenced to 238 years imprisonment.In both cases, five years is the estimated sentence.
The attending relatives of the victims and the burned victims stayed in the courtroom after the court declared the session closed, waiting to see the three convicts leave the courtroom in handcuffs.
The fourth convict, Io. When the guards attempted to carry the three convicts without handcuffs, the relatives started shouting demanding that the procedure be followed.
It is recalled that Sotiris Terzoudis, Vassilis Matthaiopoulos, Ioannis Fostieris and Ioannis Kapakis were sentenced to 340 years imprisonment, while Chr.Golfinos, Phil.Panteleakos, Dan.Papadopoulos, Nik.Panagiotopoulos and Char.Chionis, to 238 years imprisonment.
In both cases the estimated time is five years.
When the guards attempted to carry the three convicts without handcuffs, the relatives started shouting demanding that the procedure be followed.
Upon their departure, the audience erupted in applause, chanting «Liotsos! Liotsos!».
«You have destroyed us», «Even now you are unrepentant», «Damn you to prison» were some of the things that were heard.
