Court acquits all defendants in HELIOS air crash case

Nicosia Assize Court accepted today a recommendation by the Law Office to dismiss all charges against the defedants in connection with the case relating to the 2005 HELIOS air crash which killed all 121 persons on board.

The Law Office of the Republic of Cyprus requested on Monday the suspension of the prosecution of all individuals and HELIOS airline that faced charges with regard to the crash of the HELIOS Airways Boeing 737–31S into Grammatikos mountain, north of the Greek capital Athens, on 14 August 2005, causing the death of all 121 people on board.

Nicosia Assize Court dismissed all charges and acquitted all defendants. Helios Airways as a legal person and four officials, Andreas Drakos Helios Executive Chairman, Demetris Panatzis Managing Director, George Kikkides Flight Operations Director and Ianco Stoimenov Chief Pilot faced charges of manslaughter and causing the death of all 121 people on board by reckless, dangerous and careless action.

The Court accepted the recommendation of Attorney General Petros Clerides to suspend the criminal case and ordered the evidence to be returned to their rightful owners.

A Court of Appeals in Athens convicted earlier this month three of the four defendants in the Helios air disaster of 2005 and sentenced them to 122 years imprisonment each.

Helios Director Demetris Pantazis, Flight Operations Director Andreas Kikkides and Chief Pilot Ianko Stoimenov were found guilty for manslaughter with conscious negligence, a misdemeanour Chief engineer Alan Irwin, the fourth defendant, who had checked the aircraft before the doomed flight, was found not guilty.

The judge sentenced the three men to 122 years imprisonment each and according to Greek law they would have to serve at least ten years. The court proposed that the three pay their way out of jail. The defence counsel said the amount was too high and asked the judge to lower it to the least possible amount. The defence put forward as mitigating circumstances the defendants’ former honorable life and good behaviour.

The judge ordered that the three pay 0 euros per day each of the 10 years they would have to serve. However, this amount with an additional increment doubled.