A total sentence of 18 years and 4 months was sentenced to (former) employee of the Municipality of Argos Orestikos Kastoria, who was responsible for the massive event of gastroenteritis in residents, 6 years ago, which appears to be linked to the consumption of water. For the same case, the then mayor of the Argos Orestikos was acquitted.

The convicted officer, in question in question for the conduct of a water supply water control and chloride, was found guilty of degradation of environmental, negligent and omission, as well as for bodily harm, negligent, confirmation (both acts). The One -Member Court of Appeals of Kozani – before which the case was heard (due to a special bid on the mayor’s face) – acknowledged to the employee, now a retired, the exterior of the earlier legal life, while deciding to convert the 5 -euro penalty.

The Court admitted that due to omissions in the chlorination of the water supply network of the Municipality of Argos Orestiko in January 2019, no pathogenic microorganisms were inactivated that appeared to have been introduced into the grid, with the result of the consumption of water to be patient with gastroenteritis and 635 Prefecture.

Among them was a 58 -year -old (today) who had to be taken to hospitals in Thessaloniki where he was hospitalized for more than 4 months, having been infected with the Giullain Barre syndrome (complete inability to move the upper and lower extremities, etc.) which caused him a permanent heavy bodily harm.

The history of the case

For the hundreds of cases of gastroenteritis in Argos Orestikos, the HELP was then mobilized, while an ex officio file was formed, but was filed in 2019 by the Kastoria Public Prosecutor’s Office. The same fate had a lawsuit that the 58 -year -old was filed shortly afterwards, when he turned against the mayor and all responsible. Eventually, the case was appealed in 2023 by the provision of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Western Macedonia and the criminal proceedings were initiated, resulting in the proceedings brought to trial the above two persons.

The summons with which they were called to trial made, among other things, for omissions in conducting daily checks of residual water chlorine levels of the water supply network, from different points and even the most remote, as only one week controls were carried out.

What did they mention in their apologies

In their apologies, both the mayor and the municipal official denied the charges, renounced their responsibilities, and, among other things, referring to the responsibilities on the water issue that the then deputy mayor had died in 2020.

The court eventually found the defendant municipal official guilty, eliminating from the (initial) category of environmental degradation the aggravating case that it resulted in severe face injury and in the 58 -year -old suede. Speaking to RES – EIA, the lawyer in support of the category, Leonidas Sidiropoulos, explained: “Due to an examination that was not performed while my client was hospitalized in public hospitals, it was not proved” with certainty “, at the discretion of the judges, that the judges were in the judgment. Experts and therapists are likely to say this as a dominant scenario. “