The Athens Mixed Jury Court today ruled by a majority (6-1) to acquit the two fishermen who were tried over the death of Sifis Valyrakis, following lengthy evidentiary proceedings.

The presiding judge dissented, holding that the two defendants should be found guilty. With its ruling, the court rejected the proposal previously made by the prosecutor at an earlier hearing, who had sought the conviction of the two defendants.

The case being tried concerns the death of former minister and longtime PASOK figure Sifis Valyrakis, who died on January 24, 2021, in the sea area off Eretria.

The Case

Sifis Valyrakis had gone out fishing in his inflatable boat. He was later found dead in the sea, with serious injuries to his body and head. From the outset, questions arose over the circumstances of his death, as there were testimonies and evidence indicating that an incident involving another fishing vessel had taken place in the area.

Initially, the case was treated as a possible accident. However, Sifis Valyrakis’s family insisted that it was not an accident but a criminal act, and called for an in-depth investigation into the circumstances under which he lost his life.

Two professional fishermen, brothers, were referred to the Mixed Jury Court, where they stood trial for joint intentional homicide. According to the indictment, the two men allegedly got into an altercation with the former PASOK minister while they were at sea and subsequently struck him, causing him to fall into the water and lose his life.

During their statements in court, the two defendants categorically denied any involvement. They claimed that they had not gone fishing that day and had nothing to do with Sifis Valyrakis’s death.

The trial lasted approximately one year, and during around 60 hearings a large number of witnesses and pieces of evidence were examined. A central issue was whether another boat had been at the location where Sifis Valyrakis was and exactly what had happened between the people aboard the two vessels.

During the proceedings, witnesses testified that they had seen or become aware of an altercation at sea. A witness’s testimony in January 2026 was particularly notable: he described seeing Sifis Valyrakis’s inflatable boat going out to sea and spoke of an incident involving an altercation with a fishing vessel.

At the same time, the trial examined issues concerning the presence of the two defendants in the area, their vehicles and movements that day, as well as the testimony of people from their social circle.

Particular weight was also given to the forensic findings. The family’s side maintains that the injuries suffered by S. Valyrakis point to a violent death rather than a simple maritime accident. During the trial, the nature and origin of the injuries to the victim’s body were examined extensively, with Sifis Valyrakis’s widow, Mina Valyraki, testifying with certainty before the court and arguing that her husband did not die in an accident but was murdered.

What the Prosecutor Had Proposed

In his closing argument, prosecutor Pan. Iliopoulos had sought the conviction of the two defendant brothers as charged.

“From all these factual circumstances, it emerged that on that day the defendants’ boat left the port of Eretria and was at the area of Pezonisi and Agia Triada. The defendants noticed Sifis Valyrakis’s inflatable boat, and the two vessels reduced their speed and got into an altercation. Dangerous maneuvers were carried out around Sifis Valyrakis’s boat, followed by waves. Valyrakis’s boat had its engine running. One of the defendants, using a wooden pole, managed to strike Valyrakis repeatedly, hitting him in the upper part of his body and causing him to fall into the water. He struck him with the pole two or three times,” the prosecutor said, among other things, in his proposal, which the court ultimately did not adopt today.