An appeal has been filed by the Athens Court of Appeals Prosecutor’s Office against the recent acquittal ruling issued by the Athens Single-Member Court of Appeal in the case involving the “Spartiates” party, according to reports.

The original decision acquitted 11 current and former MPs of the “Spartiates” party, as well as Ilias Kasidiaris and a lawyer, of the charge of deceiving voters. The case had drawn the attention of the Supreme Court prosecutor following allegations made by the party’s president, Vasilis Stigas.

Specifically, Stigas had taken the floor in Parliament and referred to a “Greek mafia” and blackmail within his party, implicitly pointing to Ilias Kasidiaris. However, in court, he retracted these statements, attributing them to misinformation and emotional strain. The court ultimately issued an acquittal on May 14 for all defendants, fully adopting the recommendation of the presiding prosecutor.

Nonetheless, the Appeals Prosecutor’s Office took a different legal stance. In filing the appeal, it reportedly considered that the full indictment had been substantiated, particularly since during the trial it was mentioned that members of the “Spartiates” had visited Kasidiaris in prison.

Furthermore, sources indicate that the appeal reasoning includes references to Stigas’s initial testimony to Supreme Court Prosecutor G. Adilinis, who investigated the case. Although Stigas later reversed this testimony, the appeal suggests that this retraction may have been made under pressure — possibly due to the risk of annulling the election of the “Spartiates” MPs, a matter still pending before the Supreme Special Court.