Five people handed suspended jail sentences in big corruption trial
![Five people handed suspended jail sentences in big corruption trial](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/court--3.jpg)
Five people were given suspended prison terms of between five to 13 years for active and passive bribery and money laundering in a long-running case into a major trial-fixing ring.
A court gave former lawyer and ex New Democracy MP Petros Mantouvalos and the former appeals court judge Yiannis Efstathiou a 13-year suspended term.
It also handed a 12-year suspended term to Yiakovos Yosakis, a senior abbot. The other two suspects received smaller sentences.
During their investigation, prosecutors implicated dozens of judges, lawyers, notaries, accountants and businessmen, who allegedly asked for bribes to secure a favorable judicial ruling or confiscated illegally various properties of high value.
The case was opened in 2010 after a Greek businessman, Yiannis Boletsis, told judicial authorities that he was asked by Yiosakis, a mediator in the ring, to pay a bribe to influence judges in his favor.