Tsochatzopoulos released from jail

Greece’s former Defence Minister and founding member of PASOK, Akis Tsochatzopoulos was released from jail on Wednesday because of poor health.

Tsochatzopoulos had been found guilty on corruption charges on October 2013 and was sentenced to the maximum penalty of 20 years incarceration.

On Wednesday the court ruled in his favour by a majority of three to two and accepted the request of the former minister, suspending the execution of the first-instance sentence of twenty years. Part of the condition is that he pays 200,000 euros in bail and doesn't leave Greece or travel by sea or air.

Akis Tsochatzopoulos was a founding member of the PASOK and was elected to the Hellenic Parliament for the first time in 1981 and remained in seat until 2007.

In March 2011 after media reports, the parliamentary committee decided to inspect Tsochatzopoulos' assets where millions were found and revelations of kickbacks and over the purchase of German submarines with the German company Ferrostaal.

On 1 July 2011, amid the accusations of economic scandals, the Greek Parliament voted in favour of pressing charges against him and eventually he was found guilty.