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Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-12-11
CONTENTS
[01] Judges guilty of perjury will be punished, Justice Minister says
[01] Judges guilty of perjury will be punished, Justice Minister says
The government will continue its efforts to 'clean up' the judiciary, a
process Justice Minister Anastassios Papaligouras called a 'one-way
street' in an interview in the Sunday edition of Kathimerini.
The process of cleaning up is necessary "for restoring citizens' trust
in the judicial system," Papaligouras said, adding that the government
is committed to following this one-way street to the end no matter how
long it takes.
Asked to comment on heavy penalties imposed on citizens, Papaligouras
acknowledged that "certain judges tended to equate their personal
integrity with the abuse of strict penalties at the expense of citizens
under trial," adding that "I addressed this issue promptly stressing
that justice lives up to its name when it is strict with judges who
have committed perjury and lenient when dealing with citizens."
As for the mass media playing the role of judge and jury, Papaligouras
said that the answer lies in upgrading the judicial system.
"Public opinion will stop resorting to 'self-appointed' prosecutors
only when it becomes convinced that it can rely on actual judges," the
minister noted.
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