The 46-year-old woman accused of involvement in the deadly Marfin bank fire is expected to testify before the authorities in Greece on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 16 years after the incident that claimed the lives of three people.

The woman, who was brought to Greece from Britain, denies any involvement in the case and maintains that she is innocent. She is being held at the Attica General Police Directorate.

According to information cited in the report, the 46-year-old arrived in Greece on the evening of Thursday, Aug. 6, accompanied by officers from the Organized Crime Division.

The following morning, she was transferred to the courts at the former Hellenic Army Academy accompanied by her lawyer, Kostas Papadakis. The charges against her were formally brought there, and an international arrest warrant issued against her was executed.

She is now expected to give her statement, while authorities continue investigating a case that has remained in the spotlight 16 years after the fatal Marfin fire.

Lawyer disputes identification evidence

Speaking Monday morning on the television program Koinonia Ora MEGA, Papadakis said the available video evidence was insufficient and that “there is no identification.”

Papadakis said his client had declared herself innocent from the outset. In his view, “the picture has been clear from the beginning, but not in the direction announced by the police, namely that a woman has been identified. Rather, it is that the specific woman accused, whom I represent, has not been identified.”

According to the lawyer, the police report refers to a “limited level of support for similarity,” which he said does not constitute proof of identity.

“The evidence from the video material is insufficient to establish what is called identification,” Papadakis said. He argued that there are both similarities and differences and that the police report refers to limited support for similarity rather than an identification.

The lawyer also stressed that the burden of proof lies with the prosecution and that doubt should favor the accused.

He said the only visible detail of the person authorities are attempting to identify is a blonde ponytail, adding that it is not known whether it is real or an extension, or even whether the person is a woman. He maintained that the specific defendant has not been identified.

Lawyer points to earlier examination of images

Papadakis also recalled that the same photographs had been examined in 2022 by the relevant police authorities and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, with a negative result.

He said the new element that led to the reopening of the case file was an anonymous electronic letter naming 10 people without providing specific indications of their respective roles.

The charges against his client concern the deaths of the three victims. Papadakis expressed his support for their relatives and those mourning their loss.

At the same time, he insisted on his client’s innocence, saying that “justice is not served by convicting innocent people and through political games and manipulation.”