Four Golden Dawn MPs end depositions
Four Golden Dawn lawmakers, party spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris, Ilias Panayiotaros, Yiannis Lagos and Nikos Michos have reportedly denied all charges against them in their depositions at an Athens court.
The depositions began on Tuesday afternoon and ended on Wednedsay morning. A court decision on whether or not the four men would be remanded in custody was expected on Wednesday.
The four MPs were among a group of Golden Dawn deputies and members who were arrested last weekend and faced charges of heading a criminal organization responsible for a range of felonies, including murder, assault, blackmail and money laundering. In their depositions they argued that their arrests were unconstitutional.
According to sources, Kasidiaris named a man he believed to be one of two key witnesses in the case against the ultranationalist party. Sources also said that the four deputies denied the prosecution’s allegations that the events that followed the murder of 34-year-old rapper Pavlos Fyssas by 45-year-old Golden Dawn member Giorgos Roupakias on September 17 followed the chain of command set out in the party’s charter. They claimed, reports said, that the party charter presented by the court had been falsified.
Golden Dawn chief Nikos Michaloliakos was expected to appear in court on Wednesday afternoon, while the party’s second in command, Christos Pappas, was expected to make his deposition on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a former chief of the Aghios Panteleimonas police station was arrested on Wednesday and was being questioned by the department regarding his ties to the extreme-right party.
