First punishment for a mayor about an illegal landfill

A few days ago, the 2nd Three-Member Misdemeanor Court of Athens issued the first sentence against an active mayor for an illegal dump with a verdict estimated to become a milestone for environmental protection, while our country is on the verge of new convictions for its scattered dumps

The case, which has been stalling since 2007 after the lawsuit filed by residents of Nea Makri, is against Iordanis Louizos, the active mayor of Marathonas, who was found guilty of turning the former American base in Breksiza into an uncontrolled dump.

The trial of the mayor, in which the ministry of Environment appeared as civil defense, was held on the 5th of March after repeated postponements. And it was marked by allegations of concealing evidence and obstructing the proceedings in order to eliminate the offenses, which under the indictment were committed between 2004-2007.

Finally, on March 15, the court announced the verdict, condemning the mayor for "repeated" violations of law 1650/86 for the protection of the environment. He was sentenced to an 8-month imprisonment with a 3-year suspension, and a fine of 5,000 euros as compensation for state damages totaling 7,000 euros, with the obligation of restoring the environment.

The local residents and the Association of the Friends of the Archaeological Museum of Marathon had begun to take action for the removal of the dump that was inside a wetland and an archaeological area of hyper-topical significance, in order to stop its operation.

This resulted in frequent forest fires, the release of dioxins into the atmosphere and the degradation of the environment with the streams inside the former U.S. base getting filled with garbage. The landfill was closed on January 2008 by decision of the council, and after the municipality had received quite a few fines.

The Greek Ombudsman had interjected in the case, as it was revealed that the municipality of Nea Makri was operating a new dump in the north part of the former American base, with the permission of the State Mortgage Company!

The 2nd Office of Antiquities has filed a complaint regarding this case and the sealing of the dump was demanded, but the municipality did not acknowledge its existence, although letters by the FD, which was putting out the local fires, certified that the site was used for the burial of all sorts of solid waste.

According to the presiding judge, "as a mayor, the accused was collecting miscellaneous debris and other bulky waste, which he dumped in the area... With the deposition of such waste he opened the way for greater pollution by contractors, who had thus secured the tolerance of the municipality of Nea Makri."