The pretrial detention of the 46-year-old woman charged in connection with the Marfin bank fire case was ordered on Tuesday afternoon (08/11), following a lengthy court hearing. The examining magistrate and prosecutor determined that she must be held in custody, concluding that she is “particularly dangerous and committed to the action plan of the group that carried out the deadly arson attack.”
Marfin bank fire case: The role attributed to the 46-year-old by judicial authorities and the serious charges she faces
A decisive factor in the pretrial detention ruling was the role that judicial authorities attribute to the suspect within the group that operated in May 2010. The defendant, who has been living permanently in the United Kingdom in recent years, is alleged — based on investigation findings — to have played a supporting role in the events that led to the tragic deaths of three bank employees, including a pregnant woman.
The 46-year-old faces charges of joint manslaughter in serial form, as authorities directly link her to the perpetrators of the arson attack on the bank branch.
It is worth noting that two 42-year-old men have already been remanded in custody in connection with the same case, facing equally serious charges.
What she said in her defense hearing
For her part, the defendant categorically denies any involvement in the attack. She acknowledges that she was present at the protest rally that day, but maintains that she was not in front of the bank when the attack took place.
“I am innocent. I participated in the demonstration, but I have nothing to do with the incidents. I know my co-defendants only by sight from anarchist circles,” the 46-year-old stated, insisting that she played no part in the events attributed to her.
During her hearing, she also reportedly challenged the evidence used to identify her, arguing that “there is no identification of me in the police report, and the same photographs had already been examined in 2022, when the investigation was subsequently archived.”
She further argued that “there is res judicata from the previous acquittal ruling, and it is unacceptable for the case file to be reopened based on an anonymous and entirely vague email.”
Her hearing began at approximately 12:30 and lasted more than three hours. Through her defense attorney, she submitted a lengthy written memorandum presenting her arguments in detail, after which she answered questions from the examining magistrate.
The defendant’s sister also gave a statement to the magistrate, claiming that the two of them had been together at the march and had walked past the bank before the attack took place.
Her lawyer’s reaction
Following the pretrial detention ruling, the 46-year-old’s defense attorney reacted strongly, condemning the decision as unjust.
“Today is a dark day for Greek justice, because the decision that was handed down serves the prevailing political climate more than it serves the rule of law. It serves political expediency rather than legal principles. This is an unjust detention that destroys an innocent defendant and places an enormous burden on her five-year-old child.”
The 46-year-old, a permanent resident of the United Kingdom, was arrested in London on July 13 on the basis of a Red Notice issued against her. She did not contest her arrest and consented to her extradition to Greece in order to appear before the Greek judicial authorities.
