The Devil lies in the Details

It is evident from the case of the 78-year-old owner of the amusement park, who, despite being irrevocably convicted, simultaneously had a clean criminal record, which she submitted in municipal tenders, often winning contracts.

The question of how she had a clean record despite being irrevocably convicted in 2017 for the injury of a girl in 2009 in Chalkida became central once the municipality of Larissa, followed by the municipalities of Agia and Almyros, revealed that her submitted criminal record was clean: the conviction was nowhere to be found. According to reliable and thoroughly verified information from protothema.gr, the irrevocable decision against the 78-year-old did enter the criminal record, but it lists her place of birth as Athens. However, her actual birthplace is Germany, and with this accurate detail, the conviction was never recorded. Instead, the conviction appears under a person with the exact same details but with Athens listed as the place of birth. The mistake was made by some judicial service, and it remains to be investigated when and how this occurred. This critical detail has reportedly been noticed by police services, yet the necessary correction has still not been made.

Legal circles point out that the businesswoman is not responsible for the service’s error regarding the incorrect recording of her place of birth in the irrevocable conviction. However, she is fully aware that she had a legal impediment, and was convicted, but continued to participate in tenders.

Notably, the conviction for the accident in Chalkida became irrevocable in June 2017. Under the law, it should have appeared on her criminal record for eight years, meaning her record should not have been clean until June 2025. Based on this, the 78-year-old should never have won bids to install amusement parks anywhere in the country, including in Almyros in 2019, where from the same game that injured a girl in Chalkida in 2009, 13-year-old Seraina Chouliara tragically died. For the fatal incident in Almyros, the 78-year-old and two others have been referred for trial at the Mixed Jury Court of Larissa, which is expected to begin in a few months.