Vasilis Papageorgopoulos
Vasilis Papageorgopoulos Βασίλης Παπαγεωργόπουλος | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of Thessaloniki | |
| In office January 1, 1999 – December 31, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Konstantinos Kosmopoulos |
| Succeeded by | Yiannis Boutaris |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 27, 1947 Thessaloniki, Greece |
| 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. 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.
Biography
Papageorgopoulos' personal best time was 10.22 seconds, achieved in August 1972 in Izmir. This ranks him twelfth among Greek 100 metre sprinters, behind Angelos Pavlakakis, Aristotelis Gavelas, Christoforos Choidis, Alexandros Yenovelis, Haralambos Papadias, Konstantinos Kenteris, Alexis Alexopoulos, Panayotis Sarris, Georgios Theodoridis, Yeoryios Panayiotopoulos and Alexandros Terzian.[1] Papageorgopoulos 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]. Papageorgopoulos has been, from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2010, 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 at the municipality. He was also accused by his successor Yiannis Boutaris of providing inaccurate financial figures.[2]In February 2013, he was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment for embezzling of 17.9 million euro at the Municipality of Thessaloniki while he was mayor.[3] In July 2014, the sentence was reduced to a maximum of 20 years after an appeals court in Thessaloniki ruled that Papageorgopoulos's crimes amouned to acting as "accessory to the stealing of municipal funds while in office.”[4]
Achievements
| Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | European Indoor Championships | Sofia, Bulgaria | 5th | 60 metres[5] |
| European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 3rd | 100 metres | |
| Mediterranean Games | İzmir, Turkey | 1st | 100 metres | |
| 1972 | European Indoor Championships | Grenoble, France | 3rd | 50 metres |
| 1974 | European Indoor Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 8th | 60 metres[6] |
| 1975 | Mediterranean Games | Algiers, Algeria | 2nd | 100 metres |
| 1976 | European Indoor Championships | Munich, West Germany | 2nd | 60 metres |
References
- ^ All time best Balkan athletes, men - 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.
- ^ 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"
- 1947 births
- Living people
- Mayors of Thessaloniki
- Greek sprinters
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics
- Olympic athletes of Greece
- People from Thessaloniki
- Greek sportsperson-politicians
- Athletic history of Thessalonica
- New Democracy (Greece) politicians
- European Athletics Championships medalists
- Corruption in Greece
- Greek prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment