Investigation into 'Mafia State': Difficulty appointing investigative magistrate
The Anti-Corruption Authority's report remains without an examiner, as the majority of approached lawyers rejected the assignment due to volume, political pressure and conflicts of interest.
Investigation into 'Mafia State': Difficulty appointing investigative magistrate
The Christodoulides government has been unable to staff the judicial investigation that would examine the Anti-Corruption Authority's report, according to the newspaper Politis.
Since last Thursday, the overwhelming majority of contacts with lawyers and specialised officials have proved fruitless. After the file was made public, the presidential office drew up a list of candidates with the necessary qualifications. Almost all declined to take on the task.
The refusal stems from three factors. The first is the enormous volume of material: three thousand pages and seven hundred boxes of documentation. The second is the nature of the case, which goes beyond narrow legal boundaries and is deeply entangled in the political arena, as among those under investigation are a former President, former ministers, lawyers and journalists. The third factor is the interconnection of persons: among the fifteen suspects for criminal offences there are close ties of kinship, friendship and professional cooperation.
Due to the impasse, the Presidential Palace is examining the possibility of finding an investigative magistrate from abroad. Greek lawyers have already declined. British officials are ruled out for reasons of impartiality. Under consideration are candidates from Commonwealth nations with common law systems, such as Canada, New Zealand or India.
Source: Politis
Source: Politis