Sentence of cleaning lady who faked diploma put on hold

A cleaning lady who doctored a certificate documenting her primary education so that she could be hired at a publicly-funded nursery has had her sentence put on hold.

A court in Larissa, central Greece, earlier this month sentenced the 53-year-old, who had worked in a nursery for 15 years, to 10 years in jail on charges of defrauding the public.

However, the country’s supreme court prosecutor last week said it would re-examine the ruling – which has been widely criticized as overly strict – to determine whether the case should be retried.

Court officials said Wednesday that the woman has been released on health grounds pending a decision by the supreme court.

Speaking to reporters outside the court, the 53-year-old said she was in a bad psychological condition. She said her actions had been driven by the need to provide for her children.