Cleaner convicted over forged elementary school diploma appeals sentence
The lawyer of a 53-year-old woman who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for falsifying a school diploma so she could get a job in the public sector lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court in Athens on Thursday.
Giorgos Sinelis told the ANA-MPA news agency that his request for the sentence against the Volos woman to be overturned will be discussed on Monday, while he has also asked that his client be spared from serving any more time in prison until a final decision is issued by the court.
The 53-year-old woman was convicted of fraud in the first instance to 15 years in prison for presenting a document showing she had graduated from the sixth grade of elementary school when she had only gone up to year five in order to be eligible for a job in the public sector in 1996.
The sentence was reduced to 10 years on appeal and the woman, who worked as a cleaning lady at a kindergarten in the central Greek city of Volos, is currently serving her sentence at Thiva Prison.
The issue has caused a political, union and social media backlash, as the sentence is seen as being particularly harsh, given that the 53-year-old woman is the only breadwinner in her family and her husband is unable to work due to disability.
