The Union of Judges and Prosecutors and Zoi Konstantopoulou along with Nikos Konstantopoulos are now heading to court, as the conflict that has been developing for months escalates into an open judicial confrontation.
The latest development came with the unanimous decision of the Administrative Council of the Union of Judges and Prosecutors to exhaust all legal remedies against the two lawyers, citing vulgar attacks that exceed the limits of legitimate criticism and affect the honor and dignity of judicial officials. The Union announced criminal proceedings and appeals to disciplinary bodies, stating it would send material to Bar Associations for review and give international dimension to the issue. The country’s largest judicial union emphasized in its press release that Zoi and Nikos Konstantopoulos and their imitators “will be held accountable in criminal courts for all crimes committed throughout the country. We will pursue civil damages against them in civil courts.”
Simultaneously, judges and prosecutors called on every judge and prosecutor “who has suffered or will suffer in the future an attack on their honor and dignity from such behavior to contact the Union, which will now collectively coordinate the procedures. Our tolerance has ended, our patience is exhausted. No judicial official will be left alone. Legality until the end!” the Union of Judges and Prosecutors announcement concludes.
Union of judges and prosecutors vs Zoi and Nikos Konstantopoulos – “Vulgar slander” and “unrestrained abuse”
This announcement represents the culmination of a confrontation that had already intensified in the previous period. The Union of Judges and Prosecutors through a series of announcements has criticized the stance and statements of Zoi and Nikos Konstantopoulos, referring among other things to “vulgar slander” and “unrestrained verbal abuse.”
The Tempi case became a turning point for the Union’s announcements. In one of the announcements, Zoi Konstantopoulou was characterized as “dangerous,” with the Union arguing that through her statements there is an attempt to influence or prevent the trial for the Tempi tragedy from taking place.
Simultaneously, in other positions, the Union had pointed out that the statements from the Konstantopoulos side damage the prestige of institutions and attempt to transfer political confrontation to the field of Justice, at a time when, as it noted, institutional sobriety is required.
On the other hand, the response had already been given during Holy Week in a press conference with particularly high tones given by Zoi Konstantopoulou and Nikos Konstantopoulos at the Athens Bar Association. Nikos Konstantopoulos launched a fierce attack against the Union’s leadership, accusing its president, Christoforos Sevastidis, of institutional deviation and lack of judicial ethics. At the same time, he announced that he would take legal action against him, filing a lawsuit for defamatory libel and requesting his disciplinary prosecution, while stating he would also appeal to international bodies. In the same direction, he spoke of a coordinated attack against himself and Zoi Konstantopoulou, making hints about involvement of the political leadership of the Ministry of Justice and attempts to restrict lawyers’ rights.
Zoi Konstantopoulou, for her part, focused on complaints about the conduct of the Tempi trial, arguing that fundamental principles of the rule of law are being violated, such as the principle of publicity, while speaking of interventions that affected the course of the case from the beginning.
