Galery

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Three senior officials of the department investigating deliberate arsons left the office without explanation shortly after the disclosure of a criminal group. The official information shows that the three officials in the fire department left their posts on the basis of a "personal choice" within the context of the reforms in the security forces, but To Vima newspaper reports that the reshuffle became necessary following the revelations of the investigative authorities. The unofficial information associates them with doubtful arsons.

The department investigating deliberate arsons conducted in recent months a series of investigations of arsons of forestland, like the one on the Island of Chios in the summer, which burned more than 61,000 km2 of forest and agricultural areas.

Another case, which was thoroughly investigated, was the arson of one of the Sprider Stores’ representations near Anthoussa on 13 February 2012. A total of 20,000 square metres burned then, including the basement, the ground floor and the first floor of the commercial building. In the beginning, there was some talk of the specific arson being the result of the actions of an anarchist group. On 12 February 2012, when the government signed the second Memorandum of financial support with the lenders from Europe and the International Monetary Fund, Athens became the scene of violent civil clashes. Anarchist groups set dozens of fires in different areas of the capital. They mainly focused on the arsons of banks, buildings of official institutions and large commercial sites.

The building of Sprider Stores was believed to have become a victim of the general vandalism in the capital. After several months of investigation, prosecutor Halarabos Lakafosis of the first city court filed charges against the company management for the induction of arson for insurance fraud. The physical perpetrators of the arson were representatives of the security company of the shop.

One of the three officers of the fire department, who unexpectedly resigned, had been the deputy chief of the fire department in charge of the investigation of the fire in the Sprider Stores. The other two, who resigned, are associated with the fires in Ilia although there is yet no evidence of an investigation against them.

According to the information published by Greek media, there is evidence that the members of the fire services met the persons accused of the arsons. The senior management of the fire services refuses to officially comment on the case. To Vima reports that the investigation continues and there will be no final conclusion about the involvement of the fire services officials before the judicial investigation is completed.