Magistrates may call Golden Dawn MPs for questioning before Easter
The magistrates heading the investigation into Golden Dawn’s alleged criminal activities may call the Neo-Nazi party’s MPs to make their depositions before Easter, sources have told Kathimerini.
The probe into allegations that the party operated as a criminal organization was put back into the spotlight by a secretly filmed video showing ex-cabinet secretary Panyiotis Baltakos discussing the case’s merits with Golden Dawn spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris.
The video was made public at the same time that the parliamentary immunity of four more Golden Dawn MPs – Michail Arvanitis-Avramis, Eleni Zaroulia, Nikolaos Kouzilos and Dimitris Koukoutsis – was lifted. Magistrates Ioanna Klapa and Maria Dimitropoulos are now set to question the lawmakers before possibly remanding them in custody. Six of the 13 far right deputies facing prosecution are already in pre-trial custody.
Sources said that the judiciary is also poised to take action over any other videos that Golden Dawn makes public. The party has claimed that it has more conversations, including at least one with a judicial official, in its possession. There are many within the judicial system, however, that believe this is part of the neofascist party’s tactics to undermine the credibility of the case against its MPs and members.
Prosecutor Calliope Dagianta is already investigating the video with Baltakos. This could lead to charges being leveled against Kasidiaris for illegally filming the former government official.
