rsaegean.org | 7 November 2025
Pylos shipwreck: Criminal prosecution on felony charges against the current head of the Coast Guard and senior members of its leadership
By order of the Prosecutor of the Reviewing Court, criminal proceedings are to be brought against four senior officers of the Coast Guard, including its current chief, whose case had been shelved by the prosecutor of the Piraeus Naval Court, and the survivors had lodged an appeal against the shelving.
The criminal prosecution concerns a felony and other offences, specifically: a) serial exposure through failure to fulfil the legal obligation to rescue and assist persons in distress, which caused the death of the victims, b) serial exposure of other persons by failure to fulfil the legal obligation to rescue them and leave them helpless, and c) manslaughter by negligence through serial failure to fulfil legal obligations.
We would like to remind you that, on May 16, 2025, criminal proceedings were brought by the Public Prosecutor of the Piraeus Maritime Court against 17 members of the Coast Guard, including senior officers of its leadership, among whom was its former chief. The case has been referred to the competent investigating judge.
The lawyers of the organizations and collectives representing the survivors and victims of the Pylos shipwreck, as well as those who worked on and supported this case, express our satisfaction with the acceptance of the survivors’ appeals and the extension of criminal proceedings against the four senior officers of the Coast Guard, for whom the case had been closed.
The referral for preliminary investigation for felonies of 21 members of the Coast Guard, including its current and former chiefs and other senior officers, as well as the findings of the Prosecutor of the Reviewing Court, are a substantial and self-evident development in the process of vindicating the victims and delivering justice.
The organisations:
Network for the Social Support of Refugees and Migrants
Greek League for Human Rights
Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
Initiative of Lawyers and Jurists for the shipwreck of Pylos
Refugee Support Aegean (RSA)
Legal Centre Lesvos
Read more >>>