Greek Supreme Court confirms convictions for 2018 Mati fire

On May 29, 2026, the Greek Supreme Court (Areios Pagos) finalized the convictions of key officials involved in the July 2018 Mati fire, which resulted in 104 deaths and 57 injuries. The court rejected the appeals filed by former Fire Service Chief Sotiris Terzoudis, former Deputy Chief Vasilis Matthaiopoulos, and former Civil Protection General Secretary Ioannis Kapakis. While their convictions for negligent homicide and bodily harm remain final, the Supreme Court partially accepted the appeals regarding the refusal of mitigating circumstances. Consequently, the case has been remanded back to the Court of Appeals to re-examine whether the defendants are entitled to mitigating factors based on their prior conduct. This procedural review will also necessitate a recalculation of their sentences, which were previously set at a total of 340 years each, with a mandatory imprisonment of 5 years. The defendants currently remain incarcerated as they continue serving their sentences.