Former Greek Army Officer Imprisoned for €300,000 Fuel Theft

Four other defendants, all civilians, also received prison sentences. The court sentenced two alleged instigators to six years each, while the remaining two received sentences of three and four years, respectively.

The former NCO denied involvement during his defence but left the courtroom before the judges delivered their verdict. Authorities are now seeking him so he can serve his sentence.

The Thessaloniki Court of Appeal for Felonies found all five defendants guilty of aggravated theft, committed jointly and either completed or attempted, against the Greek state, or of instigating the offence. Some defendants have links to the petroleum industry. The court had granted mitigating circumstances at the original trial.

The defendants who faced additional charges of fuel smuggling were acquitted of those allegations.

Under the ruling, those sentenced to prison terms must serve their sentences. Of the two defendants who received prison terms rather than longer custodial sentences, one received a three-year suspended sentence, while the court converted the other sentence into a fine.

Investigation uncovered multiple theft attempts

The indictment covered five completed fuel thefts worth more than €300,000 and seven attempted thefts between 2013 and the end of 2014.

Investigators began piecing together the case in November 2014, when a car plunged into an irrigation canal. Authorities had already received a report of an earlier fuel theft.

According to the indictment, the vehicle was towing a trailer loaded with pipes, components and machinery. The crash site lay near an inspection chamber where investigators had found signs of forced entry.

Their investigation linked the former NCO to the case. At the time, he served in a Thessaloniki military unit connected to the security and operation of the Hellenic Army’s fuel pipeline.

All the defendants denied involvement during their statements to the court. Some claimed they had visited the crash site to photograph the area ahead of a planned search for gold.

At the original trial, the court imposed prison sentences ranging from six to eight years, depending on each defendant’s role. It suspended the sentences under conditions pending the appeal proceedings.