The Thessaloniki appeals court on Monday found again guilty the jailed former city mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos, reducing his sentence from life imprisonment to 12 years.

The five-member Court by majority ruled Papageorgopoulos guilty of a converted charge of simple complicity in embezzlement while admitting lack of a previous criminal record and subsequent good behaviour as mitigating factors.

A First Instance Court had found him guilty of direct complicity on several counts of embezzlement of municipal funds due to negligence and had sentenced him to life imprisonment.

According to information released by seleo.gr, the former city mayor told the court “This is wrong,” immediately after hearing the ruling.

The court also handed down reduced sentences to former municipal secretary general Michalis Lemoussias and former municipal treasurer Panagiotis Saxonis.

The court found Lemoussias guilty of the lesser charge of simple complicity to carry out embezzlement and forgery and was sentenced to 13 years and six months imprisonment. It should be noted that Lemoussias was also originally sentenced to life imprisonment.

Saxonis, serving a life sentence, was found guilty of embezzlement, forgery and money laundering and sentenced to 20 years and six months imprisonment. The court acknowledged the mitigating circumstances of a previous lack of a criminal record for both defendants.