5th judge is up for dismissal
Supreme Court President Georgios Kapos yesterday launched a disciplinary process against a fifth middle-ranking judge suspected of corruption, as part of the ongoing trial-fixing investigation. Court of First Instance President Fotini Kelalidou will face the plenary session of Greece’s highest civil and criminal court. Should she be found guilty, the Supreme Court will dismiss her from the judiciary, before launching criminal proceedings. Kelalidou, who has been repeatedly disciplined in the past for gambling, is accused of having failed to stand down from a case in which the main defendant – charged with drug dealing, cigarette smuggling and illicit fuel trading – was a friend of hers. The man’s defense lawyer was Kelalidou’s husband. Another four judges will face the Supreme Court’s plenary session, and about 20 are under investigation – including a woman who allegedly protected a sex-trafficking ring. Yesterday, Supreme Court prosecutor Dimitris Linos called for a special examining magistrate to head the trial-fixing investigation. Furthermore, Kapos handed the president of the Council of State, Christos Geraris, tapes of phone calls in which Panteleimon, Bishop of Attica, allegedly named corrupt members of the top administrative court.
