On October 1st, 2009, after a bank robbery in Trikala, anarchists Christos Stratigopoulos and Alfredo Bonanno are arrested in relation to the case. Christos Stratigopoulos from the very start takes on the sole responsibility for this expropriation. On November 22nd, 2010 the two anarchists are tried for the case. Ch. Stratigopoulos is sentenced for armed robbery to 8 years and for 3 misdemeanors to 9 months, without parole. A. Bonanno is sentenced as an accomplice to 4 years of prison and is consequently set free, but is then deported based on a presidential decree as a persona non grata and is forbidden to re-enter the country for 10 years.
In July 2011, while still in prison, Christos receives a new case file in regards to a second bank robbery that took place on the island of Cephalonia in July 2009. The comrade was charged for this robbery based on fabricated evidence that “surfaced” one and a half years after the event. As a consequence of this frame-up Christos was unable to take prison leave, as he was entitled to according to the greek penal law since he had served more then 1/5 of his sentence.
Christos’ Appeal court for the Trikala case took place in February 2012 and his sentence was reduced to 5 years. Accordingly, the comrade should have been released in a few weeks but remains a hostage due to receiving a new detention order for the new pending case.
The court date for the bank robbery in Cephalonia had been set for July 26, 2012 in Patras, then on the 30th was postponed for the 5th of November, meanwhile the comrade was set free under restrictions awaiting for the trial.
-Letter from C. Stratigopoulos on the new frame-up against him by the authorities