Vasilis Papageorgopoulos
Vasilis Papageorgopoulos Βασίλης Παπαγεωργόπουλος | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of Thessaloniki | |
| In office January 1, 1999 – January 1, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Konstantinos Kosmopoulos |
| Succeeded by | Yiannis Boutaris |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 27, 1947 Thessaloniki, Greece |
| Political party | New Democracy |
| Alma mater | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Profession | Dentist |
Vasilis Papageorgopoulos (Greek: Βασίλης Παπαγεωργόπουλος; born June 27, 1947) is a retired Greek sprinter, former mayor of Thessaloniki and convicted felon.[1][2][3][4][5] He won two medals at the European Indoor Championships as well as the bronze medal in the 100 metres at the 1971 European Championships in Athletics. He was named the 1971 Greek Athlete of the Year.
Biography[]
Papageorgopoulos' personal best in 100 metres was 10.22 seconds, achieved in August 1972 in Izmir. This ranks him twelfth among Greek 100 metre sprinters.[6] He also studied medicine.
Papageorgopoulos first got involved in politics in 1978 when he was elected City councilor of Thessaloniki. He practiced dentistry until 1981, when he was elected as a member of the Greek Parliament, representing Thessaloniki, for the Conservative New Democracy party[citation needed]. From 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2010, Papageorgopoulos was the mayor of Thessaloniki.
Corruption charges[]
In April 2011, he was among 25 people contacted by an investigating magistrate with a probe into alleged embezzlement of 51.4 million euros of the municipality. He was also accused by his successor Yiannis Boutaris of providing inaccurate financial figures.[7] In February 2013, he was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment for embezzling 17.9 million euro of the Municipality of Thessaloniki while he was mayor.[8] In July 2014, the sentence was reduced to a maximum of 20 years after an appeals court in Thessaloniki ruled that Papageorgopoulos's crimes amounted to acting as "accessory to the stealing of municipal funds while in office.”[9] In July 2015 Papageorgopoulos was granted parole due to health problems.[10]
Honours[]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | European Indoor Championships | Sofia, Bulgaria | 5th | 60 m | [11] |
| European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 3rd | 100 m | 10.56 s | |
| Mediterranean Games | İzmir, Turkey | 1st | 100 m | 10.4 s | |
| 1972 | European Indoor Championships | Grenoble, France | 3rd | 50 m | 5.82 s |
| Olympic Games | Munich, West Germany | (sf)* | 100 m | DNS | |
| 1974 | European Indoor Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 8th | 60 m | [12] |
| European Championships | Rome, Italy | 9th (sf) | 100 m | 10.44 s | |
| 1975 | Mediterranean Games | Algiers, Algeria | 2nd | 100 metres | |
| 1976 | European Indoor Championships | Munich, West Germany | 2nd | 60 metres | 6.67 s |
- At the 1972 Summer Olympics he was forced to scratch from the semi-finals after he had pulled a groin muscle in the quarter-finals.
References[]
- ^ https://www.tanea.gr/2013/02/27/greece/katadikastike-se-isobia-o-papagewrgopoylos-gia-tin-ypeksairesi-ston-dimo-thessalonikis/
- ^ https://www.news247.gr/politiki/enochos-o-papageorgopoylos-anamenetai-i-epivoli-poinis.6193902.html
- ^ https://www.newsbeast.gr/society/arthro/495535/katadikastike-se-isovia-o-papageorgopoulos
- ^ http://www.topontiki.gr/article/79033/enohos-o-papageorgopoylos-katadikastike-se-12-hronia-fylakisi
- ^ "Σε κάθειρξη 12 ετών καταδικάστηκε ο Β. Παπαγεωργόπουλος".
- ^ All time best Balkan athletes, men Archived 2014-01-15 at the Wayback Machine - The Athletics Site
- ^ Kathimerini: Ex-Thessaloniki mayor to face embezzlement probe. April 28, 2011
- ^ Καταδικάστηκε σε ΙΣΟΒΙΑ Ο ΠΑΠΑΓΕΩΡΓΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ για το σκάνδαλο υπεξαίρεσης στον Δήμο Θεσσαλονίκης (in Greek). news247.gr. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ "Thessaloniki Ex-Mayor had his Life Sentence Reduced". Greek Reporter. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "Παπαγεωργόπουλος: Είμαι ελεύθερος χάρη στον ευεργετικό νόμο Παρασκευόπουλου". 28 July 2015.
- ^ 1971 European Indoor Championships, men's 60 m final - Die Leichtatletik-Statistik-Seite
- ^ 1974 European Indoor Championships, men's 60 m final - Die Leichtatletik-Statistik-Seite
External links[]
- Website of Vasilis Papageorgopoulos
- Profile at the Thessaloniki Association "The White Tower"
- Vasileios Papageorgopoulos at the International Olympic Committee
- 1947 births
- Living people
- Mayors of Thessaloniki
- Greek dentists
- Greek male sprinters
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics
- Olympic athletes of Greece
- Sportspeople from Thessaloniki
- Greek sportsperson-politicians
- Sport in Thessaloniki
- New Democracy (Greece) politicians
- European Athletics Championships medalists
- Corruption in Greece
- Greek prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
- Greek politicians convicted of crimes
- Politicians convicted of embezzlement
- Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Greece
- Mediterranean Games silver medalists for Greece
- Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1971 Mediterranean Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1975 Mediterranean Games
- Politicians convicted of corruption