Magistrates probing Golden Dawn seek access to MPs’ bank accounts
Magistrates handling an investigation into charges that Golden Dawn has been operating as a criminal organization, on Tuesday asked the Financial Crimes Squad (SDOE) for access to the bank accounts of all MPs and officials of the ultra-right party who have been implicated.
The judicial officials primarily want access to the accounts of party leader Nikos Michaloliakos, his second-in-command Christos Pappas and the MP Yiannis Lagos who are all currently in pre-trial custody.
Meanwhile the magistrates have received several requests by former members of Golden Dawn who want to testify as protected witnesses.
On Thursday, Parliament’s ethics committee is to examine a request by judicial authorities to lift the immunity to prosecution of three additional Golden Dawn MPs — Giorgos Germenis, Panagiotis Iliopoulos and Stathis Boukouras. The committee is also to examine older requests to lift the immunity of the MPs Ilias Panagiotaros and Ilias Kasidiaris, two of three GD lawmakers released pending trial last week, for separate cases of disturbing the peace and of Chrysovalantis Alexopoulos for operating an illegal radio station in Larissa, central Greece.
In accordance with parliamentary regulations, the MPs are to be summoned by the committee within two days while the House’s plenary session is to convene next week and debate the issue next week before a vote is held on whether or not to lift the MPs’ immunity.
