Prosecutor appeals criminal charges ruling in Mati fire case

The appellate prosecutor Panagiotis Meidanis filed an appeal on Tuesday against the decision by the Athens Council of Criminal Procedure regarding the imposition of criminal charges for the deadly fire in Mati in eastern Attica in 2018 that left 103 dead and dozens injured in its wake.

Last month, the Athens Council for Criminal Procedure unanimously decided to criminalize those responsible for the deadly fire in Mati, ruling that the investigation should be continued for five defendants, then senior Hellenic Fire Service officials, so that their charge is upgraded from misdemeanor to felony.

Meidanis questioned the validity of the decision that requested the continuation of the felony investigations for the five, saying that in order to upgrade the charge to a felony from a misdemeanor requires a competent prosecutor to act.