Today marks a decisive moment in the criminal proceedings surrounding the deadly fire in Mati, with the Court of Appeals set to issue its verdict for the 21 defendants. The Mati fire, also known as the 2018 Attica wildfire, began in a coastal area northeast of Athens in July 2018 and resulted in the death of 104 persons.
In a statement from the Association of Relatives of the Deceased and Burn Victims, the public is urged to “stand by us in the most important victory or defeat of the Greek justice system,” as the final chapter of legal accountability for the tragedy unfolds.
Court to Deliver Verdict
This morning, the president of the Three-Member Misdemeanor Court of Appeals will announce the judges’ decision on the guilt or innocence of the 21 accused individuals. The session will take place in the Grand Hall of the Appeals Court, where the victims’ families have called on citizens to be present as they await justice.
The same courtroom was the setting for the initial verdict in April 2024—a ruling that sparked widespread outrage among victims, the public, and political parties, as it was deemed overly lenient.
The lower court had acquitted 15 of the accused and found six guilty: five senior officials from the Fire Service—Sotiris Terzoudis, Vasilis Matthaiopoulos, Ioannis Fostieris, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, and Charalampos Chionis—each sentenced to five years, later converted to a daily fine of €10. One resident, from whose yard the fire allegedly started, was sentenced to three years.
An image of the streets of Mati, after the fire.
A Final Judgment After 11 Months
After 11 months of hearings, the Appeals Court now closes the chapter on the criminal evaluation of the Mati tragedy. The court has reviewed the cases of the 21 accused in connection to the blaze that left dozens dead and many more injured—some of whom still suffer severe, lasting consequences.
This long-awaited ruling will offer answers for the survivors and bereaved who endured the horror of that day—those who lost children, partners, parents, siblings, friends—and who carry scars, both physical and emotional.
The Defendants Face Serious Charges
Awaiting the verdict are 20 officials whose roles and responsibilities at the time brought them before the court on charges ranging from negligent homicide to bodily harm through negligence. Also awaiting judgment is the individual accused of starting the fire.
All were retried from scratch following a prosecutorial appeal against the initial verdict. The court re-examined both the acquittals of the 15 and the mitigating circumstances and sentencing of the five found guilty.
In addition, the resident convicted of causing the fire is appealing his sentence in hopes of a reduction.
Potential Sentences
Except for the resident of Daou Penteli who may receive a lighter sentence, the other defendants face serious penalties, including the possibility of prison time, if found guilty.
Family and relatives protest what they consider to be a lack of delivery of justice after the fire.
Prosecutor’s Recommendation: 12 Guilty, 9 Innocent
The court evaluated extensive evidence, including forensic reports, technical assessments, emotional witness testimonies, and the defendants’ own statements, to determine the causes and culprits of the tragedy.
Prosecutor Stamatina Perimeni recommended that 12 of the 21 accused be found guilty, and the remaining nine acquitted.
According to her assessment, responsibility for key failures—including delays, omissions, and poor coordination—lies with senior Fire Service officials:
- Ioannis Terzoudis (Chief),
- Vasilis Matthaiopoulos (Deputy Chief),
- Ioannis Fostieris (Director of ESKE),
- Christos Golfino (Commander of Emergency Line 199),
- Filippos Panteleakos (Director of the Civil Protection Operations Center),
- Damianos Papadopoulos (Commander of Nea Makri, first officer on the scene),
- Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos (Commander of Athens, second officer on the scene), and
- Charalampos Chionis (Commander of Eastern Attica, third officer on the scene).
She also argued that responsibility lies with:
- Ioannis Kapakis (then General Secretary of Civil Protection),
- Rena Dourou (then Regional Governor of Attica),
- Evangelos Bournous (then Mayor of Rafina-Pikermi), and
- the private citizen accused of arson.
By contrast, the prosecutor recommended acquittals for:
- four Fire Service officials,
- one official from the Police’s aerial unit,
- then-Mayors Ilias Psinakis (Marathon) and Dimitris Stergiou-Kapsalis (Penteli), and
- two deputy mayors (from Marathon and Rafina).
