On June 11, 2025, former mayor of Kalymnos Dimitris Diakomichalis is scheduled to appear before the Single-Member Court of Appeal of the Dodecanese on charges of negligent arson by omission and environmental degradation. The charges relate to two fires at the island’s unauthorized landfill site (XADA) in 2021.
He is accused of failing to prevent or manage fire hazards, despite having a legal obligation to do so, and allowing the continued illegal operation of the site without proper restoration or fire safety measures. These omissions allegedly led to uncontrolled fires, toxic emissions, and serious environmental damage, including threats to public health, potential landslides, and contamination of groundwater and the sea.
