The public prosecutor has called for the conviction of 12 out of 21 defendants in the retrial of the 2018 Mati wildfire, which claimed 104 lives.
According to AMNA.gr, among those facing a guilty verdict are senior fire department officials and local government leaders, including former Attica governor Rena Dourou.
Prosecutor Stamatina Perimeni accused the then-fire chief Sotiris Terzoudis of critical omissions, such as diverting a firefighting helicopter from Mati and failing to mobilise additional forces.
Other officials, including the fire department’s second-in-command Vasilis Mattheopoulos and operations centre chief Ioannis Fostieris, were blamed for mismanagement that exacerbated the tragedy.
Perimeni also held responsible the former civil protection general secretary Ioannis Kapakis, Rafina-Pikermi mayor Evangelos Bournous, and Penteli resident Konstantinos Aggelopoulos, whose property was the fire’s point of origin.
She argued that “protection of the facility, of the infrastructure, prevailed over the protection of human life,” criticising the prioritisation of a fire near a refinery over the crisis in Mati.
The lack of evacuation coordination and failure to call for coast guard assistance were also cited as fatal errors.
Meanwhile, several officials, including former Marathon mayor Ilias Psinakis, his deputies, and several fire and police officers, were recommended for acquittal. The trial continues.
Source: AMNA.gr
