Jailed pensioner gets bailed out by children
An 82-year-old woman imprisoned on Monday for not paying an outstanding debt to the state was freed from jail yesterday after the fine was settled by her children. The woman was taken to Korydallos Prison after she failed to pay a 600,000-drachma (1,760-euro) fine issued in 1993 for building a home on public forestland. She had also been handed a 15-month sentence that was suspended twice. The penalty, however, remained unpaid and gradually rose as interest was added. Sources said her children yesterday agreed to pay the fine after agreeing a payment scheme with their tax office. The issue regarding the woman’s 24-hour stint in jail reached as high as Justice Minister Anastassis Papaligouras, who had instructed prison authorities to keep her in a special detention area and not a regular cell.
