Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-06-03

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Appeal by slain musician's mother prompts PM's intervention to speed up Golden Dawn trial

[01] Appeal by slain musician's mother prompts PM's intervention to speed up Golden Dawn trial

In the wake of a call made by the prime minister, the victim's mother Magda Fyssa and other members of his family on Friday paid a visit to Parliament President Nikos Voutsis, in the presence of Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos. The family outlined their experiences in the months since the trial began, asking for action to be take to speed up the process and solve the problems.

The Parliament president explained that the prime minister's intervention was prompted by the public anguish expressed by Magda Fyssa over the fact that the trial was making no progress and her plea to all state institutions and the government to take measures.

"The prime minister, responding to this appeal, took an initiative and we had this meeting today with the mother and family of Pavlos Fyssas," Voutsis said, noting that the trial had neither the pace, nor the horizon nor the publicity it deserved and calling it an issue that was "especially crucial for democracy and justice in our country."

Paraskevopoulos announced that he will send a written request to the president of the Athens Appeals Court Administration Council, asking it to assess the current state of the trial and whether there is objective difficulty in proceeding with it. The Appeals Court is then asked to reply with a document to the justice ministry if such difficulty is ascertained. Paraskevopoulos said that this document was already being drawn up, following telephone call made to the justice ministry general secretary.

"We know that the problem cannot be solved with a single action. Constant efforts are demanded," the justice minister said. He had assured the Fyssas family that the government was constantly monitoring the trial, and doing everything within the framework of its remit to help justice, the minister added.

He was not, however, hopeful concerning the speed at which justice will be delivered, though underlining that there was no risk that the trial will not be completed. The minister noted that his own role is confined to deciding the venue where it will take place, after consulting with justice regarding the way the trial is conducted on a daily basis, whether this is in the Korydallos court room or a space in the Appeals Court.

Paraskevopoulos noted the justice ministry has made available an additional courtroom with the necessary fittings for conducting large trials, which will be ready for use by October 5.

"The time and manner of conducting a trial is the responsibility of justice and the ministry has an obligation to come to its aid if there is a need, in other words a constant, objective inability to conduct [a trial]. In which case, the minister is responsible for providing a solution," he said.

For a minister to rush to set the time and place of a trial without a judicial request would constitute intervention that was not allowed under the law, Paraskevopoulos clarified. This would then create a risk of someone claiming that the constitutionally protected independent functioning of justice had been violated, and hence the risk of a procedural complication for the specific trial, he added.

The aim of the justice ministry's letter to the Appeals Court is to activate article 18 of law 1756/1988, which stipulates that when there is a lasting, objective inability to conduct court sessions, the justice minister can step in and name another courtroom for conducting the trial, following a request by the justice in charge, which in this case is the head of the Appeals Court.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article