Magistrates request lifting of immunity of nine more Golden Dawn MPs [Update]
Investigating magistrates Ioanna Klappa and Maria Dimitropoulou, tasked with probing the activities of Golden Dawn in order to determine whether it constitutes a criminal organization, on Thursday submitted a request for Parliament to lift the immunity from prosecution of nine more deputies of the far-right party.
Party chief Nikos Michaloliakos, his second-in-command Christos Pappas, another seven deputies and other members of the neo-Nazi party are currently in custody pending trial. They were arrested in the wake of the September, 2013, murder of an anti-fascist musician by a self-confessed supporter of the party which prompted a wide-reaching probe into Golden Dawn.
Golden Dawn has 18 seats in the 300-seat Parliament. Half of its MPs are already under criminal investigation.
The magistrates’ latest request concerns MPs Eleni Zaroulia, wife of Michaloliakos, Nikos Kouzilos, Antonis Gregos, Polyvios Zisimopoulos, Constantinos Barbarousis, Chrysovalantis Alexopoulos, Dimitris Koukoutsis, Artemis Mattheopoulos and Michalis Arvanitis.
The magistrates also requested Parliament’s approval for additional charges to be brought against jailed Michaloliakos, Yiannis Lagos and Giorgos Germenis for illegal possession of weapons and explosives, as well as against Nikos Michos and Ilias Kasidiaris, two MPs who already face criminal charges but are not in custody.
