Greek court hands down heavy sentences over deadly 2018 Mati wildfire

GENEVA

A Greek appeals court has sentenced 10 people to prison after finding them guilty of the devastating 2018 wildfire in Mati, a seaside town east of Athens, that killed 102 people—the deadliest blaze in the country's history.

The local daily Ekathimerini reported on Wednesday that while cumulative sentences reached as high as 340 years, the actual time each convicted person will serve is capped at five years due to legal limits in place at the time of the disaster.

The court in its ruling on Tuesday rejected any mitigating circumstances and handed down the harshest sentences to four senior officials: Sotiris Terzoudis, then head of the Fire Brigade; his deputy Vassilis Matthaiopoulos; Ioannis Fostieris, who led the National Coordination Center for Operations and Crisis Management (ESKE); and former Civil Protection Secretary-General Ioannis Kapakis. Each received 340 years cumulatively—five years to be served.

Five other defendants were also sentenced to 240 years each, the report said, and another received a three-year suspended sentence. That sentence was given to Konstantinos Angelopoulos, the elderly resident whose property was the origin of the fire. His sentence was suspended due to age and health.

The sentencing marked a pivotal moment after the prosecutor recommended prison time for the four top-ranking officials while proposing fines for the others.

As the convicted were led away under guard, the daily reported that emotion spilled over in the courtroom. Applause erupted, with members of the public shouting, "Let's see those handcuffs for a moment" and "At least apologize—still unrepentant, even now," it reported.