In December 2021, the three-member first-instance court of Naxos imposed a 16-month suspended prison sentence to the legal representative of 105 SA for environmental and building violations in the Koumbara area. The environmental violations are those documented in the 2016 report by the Environment Inspectors of the Ministry of Environment. Save Ios were represented in the Naxos trial by our lawyer and three Board members.
Mr Michalopoulos is closely connected to 105 SA and to other companies with the same legal representative that conduct business in Ios. A number of articles that came out simultaneously in business press websites this week (real.gr, insider.gr, capital.gr) praise the environmental sensitivities of Mr Michalopoulos and the investment projects that the companies connected to him are planning in Ios. When it comes to receiving court sentences, however, Mr Michalopoulos hides behind the legal representative of the companies.
Immediately after the court decision, the company appealed the suspended prison sentence. The retrial was scheduled for today 21st September 2022, at the Appeals Court of Syros. Save Ios were again ready to participate with our lawyer and a Board member. However, the case was postponed because the company’s legal representative informed the court that they were sick and unable to come to the trial. A new date in January has been set.
Our Association hopes that the decision of the first-instance court will be upheld, and that those responsible for environmental crimes are punished by the Greek courts.
