A person is guilty of embezzlement under Art. 375 of the Greek Criminal Code who unlawfully appropriates a movable object belonging to another that has been entrusted to them.
Sentencing range: imprisonment of up to two years; where the object is of particularly high value, the minimum sentence is one year. Where the total value exceeds €120,000, penal servitude of up to ten years is threatened. The same increased penalty (penal servitude of up to ten years) applies to so-called embezzlement in breach of trust – that is, cases in which the object was entrusted to the offender on account of a special position of trust, for example as an agent, guardian, custodian, depositary, or administrator of another’s assets; where the value exceeds €120,000 in such cases, this has an additional aggravating effect.
Practically significant cases of embezzlement in commercial dealings include, for example, the purchase of goods subject to retention of title and their subsequent resale to a third party, without the purchase price first having been paid to the seller.
FAQ
A person commits embezzlement who unlawfully appropriates a movable object belonging to another, for themselves or for a third party.
The basic form of embezzlement is punished with imprisonment, the duration of which lies in the lower range of the statutory scale.
Where damage is higher, the sentencing range increases to imprisonment of several years.
For particularly high pecuniary damage – in particular in the case of so-called embezzlement in breach of trust, for example by a person in a special position of trust – the law provides for a significantly increased sentencing range, up to lengthy penal servitude.
Where the embezzlement is directed against the state or legal entities governed by public law, and the damage exceeds the high value threshold set by law, the sentencing range provides for lengthy penal servitude; under certain conditions, a life sentence is also possible.
Practically important cases of embezzlement in commercial dealings include, for example, the purchase of goods subject to retention of title and the subsequent sale of the goods to a third party without first having paid the price to the seller.
As of June 2026. All information on these pages is provided without guarantee or liability.