The Court of Audit has rejected an appeal by former Thessaloniki Mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos seeking a reduction in a financial surcharge imposed over a major municipal deficit.
It brings to a close the final judicial chapter of one of the country’s most prominent local government embezzlement cases. The Court of Audit upheld Papageorgopoulos’ fiscal liability for a deficit discovered in Thessaloniki municipality accounts during the 2006 fiscal year.
The surcharge totals €8.22 million, including a principal deficit of €4.39 million and €3.82 million in additional charges. The case concerned deductions and social insurance contributions that were recorded as having been paid to public bodies and the Greek state, without confirmation that the funds had actually been received.
The court ruled that Papageorgopoulos’ responsibility extended beyond general supervision of municipal services, citing specific actions and omissions linked to the deficit. Judges noted that a 2006 decision assigned management of the funds to a municipal employee and allowed payments in cash without prior payment warrants, while delaying checks on supporting documents until the end of the fiscal year.
The court also rejected Papageorgopoulos’ arguments that he was unaware of the missing funds and denied his request for a reduction based on proportionality. The €8.22 million surcharge remains in force and is to be collected as a public debt.
