Valyraki case: Family files appeal against acquittal decision for two fishermen
The Valyraki family is appealing to the appellate court against the acquittal of the two fishermen. Zoe Konstantopoulou accuses the Union of Prosecutors of "improper intervention".
Appeal against acquittal in Valyraki case — Konstantopoulou turns against Union of Prosecutors
The family of former minister Sifis Valyraki is filing an appeal against the acquittal decision for the two fishermen who were tried for his death in January 2021 in the maritime area off Eretria. The fact is reported by Dikastiko.gr.
The court ruled by a majority of six to one in favour of acquitting both defendants. The only disagreement was expressed by the presiding judge: "the court by a majority of six to one declares both defendants not guilty, with the presiding judge dissenting and holding the view that they should be found guilty", as he himself announced.
Following the filing of the appeal on Tuesday afternoon, the counsel for the prosecution will hold a press conference at the building of the Athens Bar Association.
Konstantopoulou: "Decision entirely inconsistent with the evidence"
Zoe Konstantopoulou, one of the lawyers representing the family of the former PASOK minister, states in a press release that "she maintains the conviction that the defendants, as direct perpetrators, are not innocent but guilty, a position and assessment which was supported by the Prosecutor at the Court and expressed authoritatively as a dissent in the Decision by the Presiding Judge of the Court".
According to Konstantopoulou, "the guilt of the defendants emerged from a wealth of evidence that was examined and revealed during the hearing procedure over an entire year, such that the acquittal decision appears completely inconsistent with the overwhelming evidence of guilt, which leaves no room for doubt".
Attack on Union of Prosecutors for "improper intervention"
The lawyer for the family also characterises as "unacceptable intervention" the statement issued by the Union of Prosecutors of Greece on the evening of Friday, 9 October 2026. According to Konstantopoulou, the statement attempts "the overall reframing of the case and the prevention of the filing of an Appeal, for which the Prosecutor at the Appellate Court is competent".
"The trade union body of prosecutors has no competence to comment on the substance of the case," states Konstantopoulou. She emphasises that "it is all the more provocative to attempt to dismiss allegations of cover-up at a time when the trial of two Coast Guard officers is pending, who are referred precisely for this: for attempted cover-up by attempted harbouring of those responsible".
The statement of the Union of Prosecutors, according to Konstantopoulou, "disregards the position of the Prosecutor at the Court regarding guilt and the resounding dissent of the Presiding Judge of the Court, attempting to prejudge the decision of the Prosecutor at the Appellate Court during the period within which he will be called to rule". She characterises this particular move as "in all respects improper intervention in an open case".
Source: Dikastiko.gr