The turning point is clear and the message too. Two men, 27 and 19 years old, accused of provoking the fire In her trap Patraswere found in custody after their apology to the investigator. They are accused of arson in a forest and non -forest area by continuous, confusion and jointly.
ELAS police officers In Patras they quickly arrived on their traces after the fire, utilizing combination of mobile telephony data, videos, photos and testimonies of residents. A new modus operandi that allows the authorities to present “tied up” files, leading to faster persecution.
A third, 25 -year -old suspect, is expected to apologize for a fire in the Nursing Home. Photographic material showing him at the starting point of the fire is an essential element of the case file.
Stricter laws
These cases show the hardening of the Criminal Code, amended by the government in 2024 (Law 5090). Now, forest arson, even by negligence, can be considered a serious felony with a sentence of 10 to 20 years, a fine of up to 200,000 euros and confiscation of property.
According to the previous 2019 legislation, such acts were often described as misdemeanors, with minor penalties that were usually accompanied by suspension. This was also the case in the case of the tragedy in the eye.
Prison, rule and not an exception
Now, the intentional arson is treated as a heavy felony, with penalties that are not suspended. In the event of deaths, only life imprisonment is imposed, with the possibility of release after 18 years, instead of the maximum of 6 years of the previous legislation.
Even for homicide by negligence with many victims, the sentence is 10 years, compared to 5 in the past. The 2024 reform also increased the maximum sentence of 15 to 20 years and limited the possibilities of suspension and release.
Simply put, with the new Criminal Code, all arson convictions lead to real imprisonment.