A former Greek defence minister was sentenced to eight years in prison, fined 520,000 euros (675,000 dollars) and had his mansion confiscated Monday after a court found him guilty of
corruption.
The Court of Appeals ruled that Akis Tsochadzopoulos, 73, had submitted false income tax declarations between 2006 and 2009. He had also failed to declare his wife's purchase of the couple's mansion, which is located along one of Athens' most exclusive streets, at the foot of the Acropolis.
Tsochadzopoulos, who acted as defence minister from 1996 to 2001, has been in custody since his arrest last year and is expected to stand trial on charges of corruption and money-laundering in the
coming months.
He is suspected of using an extensive money-laundering network to conceal millions of euros in bribes in a deal involving a submarine construction project awarded to a consortium based in Germany.
A conviction on those charges would carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The case is being closely watched in a country where politicians are frequently accused of contributing to the debt crisis by pocketing state money.
Last week, a former mayor in the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki was jailed for life over a 17 million euro embezzlement scandal.