In a packed room of citizens and relatives of victims, the Prosecutor of the court of appeal in the Mati trial began shortly after 10:00 a.m. today. But this appellate court is not lacking in tensions either, as just a short while ago relatives of victims reacted strongly when the prosecutor said during her speech: “Are you sure whether the defendants knew this would happen and proved it?“

It should be noted that the prosecutor asked this question in order to make the legal characterization of the acts charged against the defendants. At that time, relatives of victims shouted in the audience: “Yes, it’s all in the dossier, yes they accepted it for hours. The investigator saw otherwise. Felonies. Why don’t you see them too?” Reactions were intense and as a result the trial was briefly adjourned to bring down the volume.

Notably, today the prosecutor Ms. Stamatina Perimeni began to address the Court of Appeal on the guilt or not of the 21 accused in the deadly fire in July 2018, in which 104 people died and dozens of others were injured.

“I subjected myself to a titanic struggle to prepare within a short period of time. All these days I closed my eyes for a while and saw scenes of this tragedy and all these people,” the prosecutor noted, explaining that during today’s trial she will analyze the legal part of the case and tomorrow she will take a position on the merits, i.e. on the guilt or not of the defendants.

It should be noted that the prosecutor referred to the pace at which she worked to prepare her motion, responding to requests from defense lawyers who asked her to put her argument in writing. “Let me also survive this case, the prosecutor further noted, and reserved to file her motion in writing in the future.

Now, beginning her argument, Ms. Perimeni said: “I will try to contribute to the presentation of the legal and factual facts in order to help the court reach a decision. We will cite the laws – which whether we like it or not – have brought this case to the hearing. I want to say with my head bowed and with the utmost respect for the relatives of the victims that this court will not vindicate souls. This court will instill a sense of security in citizens who are all equal before the law. But the accused should also know that they will be tried in accordance with the laws in force (…). Everyone should know how the laws treat us. The law is not made by the courts but applied the same for everyone. It is a moral duty to all these people whose lives were shattered by seeing their most precious thing they had go away in these circumstances. What is this court called upon to judge? Today’s court is called upon to try the prosecutor’s appeal, which has been formally accepted, and the appeals of the defendants,”the prosecutor said.

Perimeni then presented the legislation in force in 2018 to even refer to its successive amendments since then, noting, “Unfortunately, if something goes wrong, instead of looking at the infrastructure, we change the laws.”.

The case for evacuation

The prosecutor went on to address the issue of the (non) evacuation of the Mati area on the day of the deadly fire. “What was said here “we didn’t have time, we weren’t told” is not valid as a theoretical arrest (referring to defendants’ claims of not evacuating the area). When you have a disaster unfolding you have to act immediately to prevent it or limit its consequences. It is not possible for the person in charge to expect someone else to tell him “canto”. That other person could have been burnt in the fire (…)” said Mrs Perimeni to add: “Of course, evacuation is not done when you cannot safely move away when the fire is next to you. But when the fire is coming, it is five kilometers away, that is when the danger comes, that is where evacuation must be done”.

And at this point relatives of the victims broke into applause with the chairwoman asking them not to repeat the incident.

Subsequently, Ms Perimeni said: “The pilots don’t know the area. Today they crash in Attica, tomorrow in the Peloponnese. But the local agent knows everything. The people, the region, everything. The other part about evacuation is the use of the means. Nowhere in the legislation does it say that the evacuation must be done by means that the person who decides and orders it will find. So the first thing to think about is the existing means and how people will be helped with them. It is not an obligation, it is a moral duty. Rarely will anyone be found who will say: “I’m leaving and leaving my neighbour behind”. But there must be provision from the local agent. And that starts at the beginning, not afterwards. Shall I burn you, Johnny, or oil you? Pay for the damage! Pay for what damage? We all pay these damages, even the victims.”

Even Ms. Perimeni said elsewhere in her speech: “The Fire Brigade has the general command, but the local actors must also assist (…) It is not possible at the time when an operation has to be carried out that there are no rules and that these rules are not applied (…). When you are dealing with the protection of the population, you have to intervene to protect people’s lives. Everything else follows. You have to judge your actions on that basis. (…)”.

Indeed, at one point, the prosecutor was interrupted by a mother who has lost her 15-year-old son in Mati. “I have seen people here who have lived through this tragedy and are standing with incredible dignity. I’m sure these people don’t want any innocent person to be punished. This country has suffered not only from the many laws but also from the people’s court, the older people know,” the prosecutor said in response to the woman.

The evacuation issue was again under the prosecutor’s microscope as she said it is the most important issue before the court. “Before we got to the rescue we should have gone to the evacuation,” she said, only to point out a short time later: “If they were told at 6 o’clock ‘go to Rafina harbour’ some would have done so. You can sit and burn if you want to, but then you won’t have the right to say they let us burn.”

Why the prosecution’s plea in the Mati trial was delayed

It is worth noting that the prosecution’s closing argument started late as it required a change of room to accommodate the large audience. Eventually, the court was moved to the multi-purpose room of the Court of Appeal (ceremonial hall). Early in the morning, relatives of victims gathered outside the Court of Appeal putting up banners and demanding the harshest punishment for the guilty.

The prosecutor’s speech is also attended by many citizens, while Aleka Papariga is also in the audience.

It should be noted that the appellate trial for Mati began on July 8, 2024 and now, after the prosecutor’s speech and the speeches of the advocates, it will enter the final stretch for the issuance of its decision in the next period.

The prosecutor’s closing argument continues.