ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek supreme court prosecutor has called for the retrial of the country's former statistics chief, convicted a year ago for alleged breach of duty in a highly politicized case.

Andreas Georgiou had appealed against the lower court's decision, which gave him a suspended two-year prison sentence. Earlier, another court had cleared him of the charges.

Georgiou was initially charged over the release of budget deficit data in 2010. He took over the statistical agency months after Greece had revised previously misreported budget deficit data and was spiraling into financial crisis.

Greece's European bailout creditors have repeatedly defended Georgiou, arguing that his leadership was key to the country's ability to provide reliable fiscal statistics.

The supreme court is expected to rule in coming months on Tuesday's proposal by Efstathia Spyropoulou.