Four suspects cleared of breaching privacy rights of ex-Culture Ministry official Zachopoulos with sex video
The four people accused of breaching the privacy rights of former Culture Ministry general secretary Christos Zachopoulos were acquitted on Monday.
An appeals court in Athens found former Culture Ministry employee Evi Tsekou, publisher Themos Anastasiadis, journalist Yiannis Makriyiannis and labor lawyer Christos Nikoloutsopoulos not guilty.
The court ruled that although Tsekou had recorded herself having sex with Zachopoulos and with Nikoloutsopoulos had taken this video to Proto Thema newspaper, where Anastasiadis and Makriyiannis copied the material, the suspects could not be deemed to have breached the former ministry official’s privacy.
Zachopoulos tried to commit suicide in December 2007 after learning that Tsekou had contacted the media about his extra-marital affair.
“I am very happy and I have already made a new start in my life,” said Tsekou, who claimed she made the recording after being passed over for promotion.
The case had rocked the New Democracy government at the time and led to Anastasiadis parting company with co-publisher Makis Triantafyllopoulos.