Court of Appeals: Prosecutor proposes mitigating circumstances for three convicted in Mati fatal fire
The Court of Appeals examines today the prosecutor's proposal for mitigating circumstances for Terzoudis, Matthaiopoulos and Kapakis. The Association of Relatives speaks of "continuous mockery".
Prosecutor's proposal today for mitigating circumstances for the three convicted in the Mati tragedy
A new judicial milestone for the Mati fire case: the Court of Appeals examines today the prosecutor's proposal regarding the mitigating circumstances sought by three principal convicts, according to Dikastiko.gr.
In the dock are former Fire Service Chief Sotiris Terzoudis, former Deputy Chief of the Service Vasilis Matthaiopoulos and former Secretary General of Civil Protection Ioannis Kapakis. All three are requesting recognition of the mitigating circumstance of prior law-abiding conduct.
Today's proceedings follow the decision of the Court of Cassation, which confirmed the guilt of the three but referred back to the Court of Appeals the question of recognising prior law-abiding conduct. At the previous hearing on 16 September, the defence counsel set out their arguments in detail regarding the conditions for granting this mitigating circumstance.
In the summer of 2025, the Three-Judge Court of Misdemeanours had imposed on the three a combined sentence of 340 years, with 5 years to be served, without suspension or commutation. If the mitigating circumstances are accepted, the sentences may be adjusted, with possible impact on the actual time served.
This development has provoked strong reactions from the Association of Relatives of the Deceased and Burn Victims of 23 July 2018. The Association speaks of "continuous mockery" and "inhuman treatment" of the victims. According to the Association, the convicted individuals, despite the scale of the tragedy and the loss of dozens of human lives, are seeking favourable arrangements and the conversion of their sentences into commutable penalties.
Source: Dikastiko.gr