In Brief
TRIAL-FIXING PROBE
Prosecutor opens judge’s account,seeks access to another two Supreme Court Prosecutor Dimitris Linos was yesterday investigating the bank accounts of a court of first instance judge, which were opened yesterday as part of a trial-fixing probe. Leonidas Stathis has been implicated as an alleged member of a corruption ring that systematically released drug dealers. Linos also appealed for access to the bank accounts of two other suspected ring members – court of first instance judge Tonia Ilia and Archimandrite Iakovos Yiossakis. Another two female judges are believed to have been involved. MEAT STANDARDS Brussels says Greece lagging Greece has failed to establish a system for registering the country of origin for beef, mutton and goat meat as required by European Union legislation, European Commissioner for Health and Consumers Protection Markos Kyprianou said yesterday in response to a question by Left Coalition Synaspismos MEP Dimitris Papadimoulis. Other EU member states are violating the same EU laws, Kyprianou said without naming them. Papadimoulis charged that the government’s failure to implement EU laws is facilitating the sale of foreign meat sold as local – which commands higher prices. TV games An Athens prosecutor yesterday summoned television channel representatives as well as presenters and producers of TV game shows to testify on fraud charges after 500 viewers claimed to have unwittingly spent a fortune on high-charge telephone lines. The complaints were lodged by viewers calling numbers beginning with 9011 or 090 to participate in television games promising easy prizes. Camera vandals Around 20 hooded youths yesterday set fire to trash cans and surveillance cameras at the junction of Academias and Themistocleous streets and at the beginning of Capodistriou Street in central Athens. The extent of the damage was unclear. Anarchist groups are thought to be responsible. Also yesterday, unidentified vandals firebombed the central Athens offices of a sports tribunal judge, causing minor damages but no injuries. Snow problems Schools in the northern prefectures of Florina, Kastoria and Grevena remained shut yesterday after heavy snowfall made the regional road network treacherous. Weather-related problems also plagued roads in Serres, Kozani and Imathia. Aegean action Eight formations of Turkish fighter jets yesterday violated Greek national air space in the central and northern Aegean eight times before being chased off by Greek fighters, military sources said. Two of the Turkish jets were photo-reconnaissance Phantoms. Meanwhile, Greece’s navy chief, Vice Admiral Antonios Antoniadis (photo, r), met with Turkey’s Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ozdn Ornek (l) at the start of a visit to Turkey yesterday. Antoniadis was to receive a briefing at Turkey’s naval headquarters and is due to visit naval bases in Istanbul and Golcuk on Friday. Fraudster caught A 24-year-old man used forged military identity cards to defraud 35 department stores and banks out of 46,000 euros in cash and goods, police in Athens said yesterday. Officers arrested the suspect on Monday as he tried to get approval for a consumer loan to buy goods from a Gerakas store. Apostolic Nuncio The Catholic Church yesterday appointed Irish national Patrick Coveney, 70, Apostolic Nuncio – the pope’s representative or ambassador – to Greece.
