The courts have ruled on the robbery that took place in Velvento near Kozani in February 2013. The six defendants have admitted their participation in the robbery and abduction of a passerby in order to escape.
The six men, Ioannis Michailidis, Nikos Romanos, Dimitris Politis, Andreas-Dimitris Bourzoukos, Anargyros Dalios and Fivos Harisis Poulos were arrested in February and April 2013 and also face terrorism charges of participating in the Conspiracy of Fire Cells (SPF) group.
Controversy sparked when the police published photoshopped mug shots of the first four suspects bearing obvious signs of abuse.
All were found guilty of robbery and various weapons charges, except Politis, who at the time of the robberies was preparing the group’s getaway. The prosecution also proposed mitigating circumstances for Romanos, due to his age.
Prosecutor Grigoris Peponis argued that the six men should be absolved of terrorism charges sine there was no evidence suggesting they had participated in such a group. Furthermore, he spoke of «omissions and irregularities» during the police investigation and mentioned that he was “stunned” that the defendants allowed hostages to leave and did not use force against the police despite being heavily armed.
