Mati wildfire: Court to issue verdicts six year after tragedy on Monday
Six years after the devastating wildfire in Attica’s seaside town of Mati and nearby areas, which claimed 104 lives and left dozens injured, a three-member misdemeanors court will issue its verdicts on the 21 defendants on Monday.
Top executives of the state apparatus, the Fire Brigade and Civil Protection, as well as local government officials are in the dock, along with Konstantinos Angelopoulos, the man who, with criminal negligence, lit a fire in Daou Penteli, even though there were gale-force winds, which ultimately led to the disaster.
In February, the trial prosecutor, Panagiotis Maniatis, recommended guilty verdicts for nine defendants and the acquittal of 12 others, including the then Attica regional governor, Rena Dourou, and the then mayor of Marathonas, Ilias Psinakis.
Despite the fact that the decision will finally be issued, the risk of the statute of limitations looms. Until the decision becomes final, after possible appeals to the Supreme Court, the time limits remain tight.
