Judges, lawyers team up to fight scandals
Following months of trial-fixing and corruption allegations that have plagued the judicial system and led to numerous sackings of judiciary officials, organizations representing the country’s lawyers and judges met yesterday to look for ways to shake off the stigma of the scandals and make a fresh start. Seven judges have so far been fired for offenses including bribery and money laundering. Dimitris Paxinos, president of the Athens Bar Association, said that the situation has reached «extreme limits» and called on judges to show «a human face.» «We respect judges, but they too must respect their role,» Paxinos said. Panayiotis Athanassopoulos, general secretary at the Association of Judges and Prosecutors, called for a 20 percent increase in staff numbers and a voluntary retirement scheme.
