By A. Karkayiannis

The assertion by Supreme Court head Giorgos Kapos that he would be belittling himself by turning his attention to fugitive drugs smuggler Apostolos Vavilis seems a bit odd.

Generally, it is the job of the judge and the lawyer to deal with every case, good or bad, that falls within their area of competence, whether it be thieves, con men or other criminals.

It is not in the ethics of the lawyer’s profession to choose the defendants he will represent. Even the most hardened criminal has the right to legal representation. It is the judge’s duty to listen to each case, attribute responsibility where it is due and impose the necessary punishment, even if he does feel he is being belittled.

In the case of Vavilis, if Kapos’s stance reflects that of the judicial sector in general then we should not expect to gain any insight into the activities and connections of this shady individual... Vavilis claimed that he had been acting under orders from the Greek police. Does this claim not merit investigation by judicial authorities?

Vavilis also maintained that he had been sent abroad on a “national mission.” Should not the judiciary be probing the terms under which this mission, which had such negative repercussions, had been assigned to him?

The predominant question is why such an evidently unreliable individual had been assigned such sensitive tasks...