Greek prosecutor seeks conviction for 12 officials over deadly Mati wildfire

Source: in-cyprus.com

A Greek prosecutor has called for the conviction of 12 defendants, including senior fire service officers, a former regional governor and a former civil protection secretary, over the deadly wildfire that devastated the coastal town of Mati in 2018.

The prosecutor at the Athens Appeals Court for Misdemeanours outlined a series of critical failures and negligent decisions that allegedly contributed to the loss of life during one of Greece’s worst natural disasters.

Among those recommended for conviction is former Fire Service Chief Sotiris Terzoudis, who prosecutors said failed to assume command properly, allowed the diversion of a helicopter from Mati to an oil refinery, and did not request additional support from other civil protection agencies or the military.

Former Deputy Fire Chief Vasilis Matthaiopoulos was also recommended for conviction for failing to protect civilians despite allegedly understanding that the fire conditions would likely lead to loss of life if the blaze was not contained.

“The diversion of the Erickson aircraft was a clear order. Certainly, the refinery was a very serious and dangerous infrastructure,” the prosecutor stated. “However, when situations are so critical, decisions must be made with the gravity of each circumstance in mind. Primarily, one must protect people.”

The prosecutor, Stamatina Perimeni, was particularly critical of the lack of evacuation orders, noting that responsibility fell to multiple officials, including the mayor, regional governor, and civil protection secretary, but “was not exercised by anyone, and that is tragic.”

Former Regional Governor Rena Dourou faces recommended conviction for failing to activate civil protection mechanisms and coordinate with local authorities to protect citizens.

The indictment also includes Ioannis Kapakis, then General Secretary of Civil Protection, who the prosecutor said “did nothing” to mobilise the civil protection mechanism and “causally contributed to the outcome.”

The prosecutor recommended acquittal for nine defendants, including the former mayor of Marathon, Ilias Psinakis, due to vagueness in the charges related to area clearing operations.

Konstantinos Angelopoulos, 65, a resident of Penteli where the fire originated, was also recommended for conviction. Ηe was initially arrested for causing the fire through negligence, by burning wood in his garden.

The prosecutor detailed how the fire found the area “weakened in resources” as firefighting assets had been diverted to another wildfire in Kineta. She highlighted how monitoring and supervision of the fire data by on-site commanders was “deficient from the outset.”

According to the prosecutor, even as the fire grew out of control and air support arrived, critical information was not properly assessed. “Citizens were calling the Fire Service’s Civil Protection Centre telling them ‘conditions today are right for the universe to burn,’” she said, adding that the response they received was “at least indifferent.”

In a particularly damning assessment of the rescue efforts, the prosecutor noted that information about people stranded in the sea came “via Denmark” and that no one thought to check if there might be others in the water requiring assistance.

“If someone had told them ‘don’t move away from the shore, they’re coming to get you,’ there would have been fewer people drowned,” the prosecutor stated.

The 2018 Attica wildfires killed 108 people and injured more than 170. The youngest among the dead was 6 months and the oldest 93 years old. Thousands of vehicles, 4,000 homes, and 40,000 pine and olive trees were burned.

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