A Greek court has found 10 people guilty of negligence over the 2018 wildfire in Mati that killed more than 100 people, bringing an end to the criminal trial of one of the country’s worst disasters.
The Athens Court of Appeal ruled on Tuesday, June 3, that eight former senior fire brigade officials, a former general secretary for civil protection, and the resident whose yard the fire began in were guilty of manslaughter by negligence and related charges.
The resident, Konstantinos Angelopoulos, was unanimously found guilty of arson — the same verdict handed down in an earlier case where only six of the 21 total defendants were convicted and sentenced to up to five years, later reduced to fines.
Among those acquitted in this latest ruling were former Attica governor Rena Dourou and former Marathon mayor Elias Psinakis.
Sentencing is expected Wednesday following mitigation pleas.
The verdict sparked disappointment among victims’ families. Relatives gathered outside the court, releasing black balloons and placing 120 white roses in the courtroom.
The Association of Victims from Mati said the outcome offered little closure after 11 months of hearings.
Source: Euro News.
