NEWS

Warden murder probe focusing on prison

Police investigating the violent murder of the warden of maximum-security Domokos Prison in central Greece on Saturday are focusing on the jail itself, Kathimerini understands, as it appears likely that the hit was ordered by a member of the criminal underworld serving time in the institution.

Sources indicated that authorities focused their probe on the prison after it emerged that the warden, Makis Galimanis, had had a run-in last October with an Albanian convict known to be a close associate of fugitive bank robber Vassilis Palaiocostas. According to the same sources, the Albanian convict had threatened Galimanis, claiming that the latter had insulted another inmate under the Albanian convict’s protection. The Albanian convict, who police are said to be examining as a possible “moral instigator” of Galimanis’s murder, allegedly described the run-in as “a small misunderstanding that was quickly solved.”

The 47-year-old father of two was gunned down while leaving his home near the town of Lamia on Saturday when a vehicle pulled up beside him and masked assailants opened fire with Kalashnikov assault rifles and a 9 mm pistol. He was shot over 20 times and dozens of bullet casings were found near his body.

Although the murder is believed to be linked to the criminal underworld, police have not ruled out the possible involvement of guerrilla groups.

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