Former minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos was granted a release from jail on Wednesday, when the latest of his appeals was presented before a judicial court. The five-member panel voted by a slim majority of three to two, to release the 77-year-old, due to his poor health. The former Minister of Defense, who was given a 20-year prison term for money laundering in 2013, has a heart ailment and underwend a triple bypass operation last month. He has been in hospital since undergoing triple bypass surgery last month and the prosecutor aligned with his lawers argument that returning to Korydallos prison “would cause irreparable damage” to his health.

However, the conditions of his release include – apart from a ban on leaving the country – a bail set at 200,000 euros ($213,000), which his family claims is unaffordable. 

Once among the most powerful men in Greece, ranking second in the hierarchy of the Socialist Party, PASOK, which ruled Greece for more than 20 years, Tsohatzopoulos was a founding member and a contender for the party’s leadership – and the seat of the Prime Minister – after Andreas Papandreou’s resignation in 1996. He lost to Kostas Simitis and settled for the position of Minister of Defense, which he held from 1996 to 2001, before moving on to the Ministry of Growth. He is one of the rare prominent politicians to be jailed for corruption in Greece. 

In 2013, the court found him guilty of money laundering and receiving bribes, which were paid through offshore companies for the procurement of a Russian rocket defence system and German submarines. The kickbacks were added to the final cost to the Greek state which ended up paying overcharges worth millions. According to the court, the illegal proceeds were used for real estate purchases in Athens by members of his family.