Greece’s Justice Minister, Giorgos Floridis, spoke out about the so-called “anti-Zionist patrol” carried out by the anarchist group Rouvikonas in Thessaloniki last Saturday — a title the group itself gave to its own intervention — as well as the ongoing criminal investigation into cases linked to the collective. Speaking on ERT, he stated that “a prosecutor has intervened and a preliminary investigation is underway,” adding that “the time has come to consolidate the case files from across Greece. The same was done with Golden Dawn: scattered and pending case files were merged, ultimately leading to the prosecution of a criminal organization.” He further noted that “in my opinion, Rouvikonas is a criminal organization, based on the way it operates.”
Floridis also addressed the upcoming changes expected to be announced regarding horizontal property ownership, as well as the strike action by Athens notaries, whom he warned “not to play games with the constitutional order” of the country. He also commented on what he described as efforts by certain forces to prevent the Tempi train disaster trial from proceeding, and regarding OPEKAYPE (the Greek Payment Authority), he stressed that “the tenure of Greek prosecutors at the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has nothing to do with the Greek government.”
When asked about former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Floridis stated: “It is simply not possible for a man whose two ministers have been convicted of the most disgraceful offenses — including breach of duty — to speak about tackling political corruption, especially when, during his tenure, two amendments to the penal code resulted in the release of the country’s most serious criminals.”
Floridis: Certain forces are trying to prevent the Tempi trial from starting
When asked about a recent OECD survey revealing low public trust in Greece’s justice system, Floridis responded: “This is happening because, in recent years, political forces in this country have tried to drag the Greek judiciary into current political disputes. The Tempi train disaster was a manifestation of this, where the justice system was attacked by many, with the implication that it was covering for the government. This conspiracy, which nearly brought the country to its knees and created serious doubts in the Greek public’s mind about how the judiciary as an institution operates, was ultimately proven to be an enormous lie. It was an incredible conspiracy, financed from abroad. Last December and January, 50,000 accounts from a foreign country were suddenly activated, playing a terrifying role in misleading the Greek public. The result was that millions of people took to the streets, while what emerged was a massive fraud — a massive conspiracy against the country, not just against the government. We are now living with the aftermath of that in these trust indicators regarding the Greek justice system.”
Floridis: “The trial is being held in an empty courtroom where people couldn’t even fit before”
“The trial is taking place in a courtroom that was expanded because it couldn’t accommodate everyone. They had nothing to do with the trial — the rules simply weren’t followed. We wanted to counter the fierce propaganda being pushed by all those who didn’t want this trial to happen, and to remove every pretext from them. The courtroom itself was enlarged, and yet since the trial began in a room that holds 450 people, there are barely 15 or 20 people present,” said Floridis, emphasizing that “the Greek judiciary, which has been severely attacked over the Tempi case, completed an investigative process in three years and the trial has begun — while equivalent trials in Europe, in France, Spain, the UK, and Germany, never begin before ten years have passed.”
OPEKAYPE: Cases emerged primarily from police investigations
Floridis attributed to “fierce propaganda” the impression that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) had initiated the OPEKAYPE cases. “These cases came out of investigations by Greek prosecutorial authorities, but mainly through investigations conducted by the Hellenic Police — without any involvement from the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. The tenure of Greek prosecutors at the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has absolutely nothing to do with any competence of the Greek government.”
“No Greek government has the slightest right to interfere in what happens with judicial officers. When last November the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in Luxembourg unilaterally decided to extend the tenure of the Greek prosecutors serving there, the Supreme Court Prosecutor’s Office responded by stating that the authority to extend tenure belongs exclusively to the Supreme Judicial Council of the Court of Cassation, as has been the case since the constitution was established. Therefore, any dispute or disagreement is between the Greek judicial authorities and the authorities of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.”
Floridis: “Under Tsipras’s government, every serious criminal was released”
“Tsipras must answer for his convicted ministers and for all the changes he made to criminal law,” said the Justice Minister, adding:
“It is simply not possible for a man whose two ministers have been irreversibly convicted of the most disgraceful offenses — primarily breach of duty — to speak about combating political corruption, while at the same time, during his tenure, two amendments to the penal code resulted in every serious criminal in the country being released. Not a single criminal was left behind, while Ms. Konstantopoulou, as Speaker of Parliament, was praising how good the law was. In the news reports, you’ll see which trials were abolished in 2019.”
Wills: Publication time reduced from 450 to 7 days
“Athens has 1,500 notaries. They hold an assembly where 150 show up and make a decision to go on strike. Under a new regulation, no assembly decision will be valid unless at least 50% of registered notaries participate,” said Floridis, warning notaries “not to play games with the constitutional order of the country,” as a strike would amount to serious criminal liability.
“With the system we have created and the platform available for immediate publication, wills are now published within 7 days at the most,” he added.
Avramopoulos case: The next steps
Regarding what follows from Mr. Avramopoulos’s memorandum to the Supreme Court Prosecutor to examine the validity of the European Arrest Warrant, Floridis outlined the procedure:
“Based on the process as we know it, the individual concerned may submit objections to the Court of Appeals Prosecutor regarding the content of the warrant — that is, regarding its validity. The decision then rests with the Court of Appeals Council, and if that Council reaches a decision with which the individual disagrees, there is the option of appeal to the Supreme Court Council. These are fast-track procedures.”
New property co-ownership bill to be introduced tomorrow
Regarding the bill to be submitted tomorrow, Floridis noted that since 1929 and the law introduced by Eleftherios Venizelos, there has been no legislation adapted to modern times and the issues faced by co-owners of property. Among other provisions, he mentioned that decisions in apartment buildings will require a 51% majority rather than unanimity, along with expedited procedures for property partition lawsuits “that will be resolved within six months.”
