The lawyer representing Panagiotakis’ mother is making revelations about the Eirini Mourtzoukou case, following the 25-year-old’s reference to the child’s death in her 19-page memorandum. Mourtzoukou shifts blame to his mother, stating that Panagiotakis was the child who gave her strength to live and overcome her psychological problems.
Mourtzoukou: Lawyer speaks of “obsession” with his client regarding Panagiotakis’ mother
Speaking specifically on ERTNews and the “SYNDESEIS” program, where he participated alongside the vice-president of the Attica Police Officers Union, Nikos Rigas, having spoken many times with the 25-year-old, he emphasized that: “Eirini presented herself from the beginning as a witness. She called us daily and gave us information about the five deaths. But every day she changed her version: one day she said white, the next day black”.
Continuing, referring to the absence of any mention of Panagiotis in Mourtzoukou’s initial confession, he commented: “I’m surprised she didn’t talk about Panagiotakis. I believe she will. The passion – or obsession – for my client is so great that she doesn’t directly implicate her”.
He characterized the accused’s accusations against Panagiotis’ mother as a bluff, saying characteristically: “If there’s evidence, let them bring it. No authority has given us access to case files. We’re waiting for the three-member committee’s report. There’s nothing that incriminates my client”. Regarding the “pattern” that Mourtzoukou allegedly invokes in her memorandum, he explained that Panagiotis’ sister – also a victim – was the same age (15 months), so the distinction doesn’t hold water. He added that: “It’s tragic to talk about children as if they were balloons. This 4×4 or 4+1 is infuriating”.
He also referred to the fact that the accused was hosted at his client’s home, arguing that legal action has already been taken for this and that the prosecutorial authorities were fully informed.
“Mourtzoukou confessed only when her status changed from witness to suspect”
The police representative, commenting on the case, emphasized that Mourtzoukou’s confession came when her psychological position toward Justice changed: As he initially stated: “As long as someone testifies as a witness, they don’t have the same psychological pressure. When they testify as a suspect in a crime, it’s different. The Greek Police did their job correctly and gathered material. Mourtzoukou’s contradictions helped the preliminary investigation process”.
At the same time, he acknowledged the crucial contribution of official forensic and toxicological examinations, emphasizing that the Hellenic Police doesn’t operate in terms of current affairs or television ratings.
Concluding his statement, the lawyer for Panagiotakis’ mother noted that: “If some forensic doctors had done their job correctly, we might have prevented some of the deaths. Many times the reports said ‘interstitial pneumonia’ without adequate investigation. Some cases were examined hastily – I think there are other cases that have been lost this way”. In conclusion, he said that Mourtzoukou’s exposure through television programs like Angeliki Nikolouli’s played a decisive role, as through her continuous appearances she fell into contradictions that strengthened the investigation.
