The Supreme Court last week overturned a prison sentence given to a member of the Muslim minority who has repeatedly claimed he is a Mufti, or religious leader, it was reported on Saturday.

Mehmet Emin Aga, who has been convicted several times in recent years on similar charges, is the son of the previous Mufti of Xanthi, northern Greece, where there is a large Muslim minority. He was elected to the position but was not appointed by the government. The Council of State is soon to rule as to whether the system introduced in 1990 of government appointments for Muslim religious leaders is compatible with the the protection of religious freedoms.

The court found that in issuing a religious message and signing as Mufti, for which a Larissa court sentenced him to four months’ imprisonment, Emin Aga had not committed a crime as he had not tried to exercise the administrative or judicial rights of a Mufti’s office.

Last week’s ruling was in line with one from the European Court of Justice in 1999 which reprimanded Greece for sentencing Ibrahim Serif, also for acting as a Mufti.