A felony indictment was filed on Wednesday against the deputy mayor of the Xylokastro-Evrostini municipality in relation to a devastating wildfire late last month in the area, which claimed the life of two people and scorched some 7,100 hectares of forest and brushland.
A prosecutor in the nearby city of Corinth filed a felony charge of arson linked with a fatality after being handed a fire brigade arson unit’s investigation, ruling that sufficient evidence was cited to send the case before a court.
The indictment comes in the wake of the most recent revisions in the country’s criminal code, which made arson leading to significant destruction of the environment, injuries or even death a serious felony.
The specific officeholder is charged with conducting outdoor activities during a period of high risk for wildfires. He is specifically accused of “smoking” his beehives in the hills above the coastal resort town of Xylokastro, which lies on the northern coast of the Peloponnese, in southern Greece.
According to initial reports, the man denied the charge at the time, but finally admitted to performing the beekeeping activity.
His official testimony before arson investigators is now pending.
Leaks citing the indictment have not clarified whether his actions caused the Sept. 29 wildfire, or if his activity – illegal at the specific moment – was detected prior to the conflagration.
