Justice probe going deeper
A new round of investigations into possible corruption within the judiciary began yesterday after the head of the Supreme Court highlighted three cases in which he thought courts had followed procedures «unsuitably.» Speaking to the Union of Prosecutors on Sunday, the president of the Supreme Court, Romylos Kedikoglou, said that more probes would be launched in an attempt to uncover any further offenses by judges and prosecutors to those that have been found so far. Kedikoglou took the unprecedented step of outlining three cases in which he thought the actions of judges or prosecutors had been suspicious. One of the cases involved a court’s refusal to issue an arrest warrant for former judge Constantina Bourboulia. There is an international arrest warrant out for Bourboulia, as she has disappeared since being charged in September with abuse of power and money laundering. In June, she was sentenced to jail for mishandling a probe into stock market improprieties and accepting bribes. Justice Minister Anastassis Papaligouras yesterday reiterated his pledge to rid the justice system of corruption, claiming the ruling conservatives had inherited a situation «riddled with problems.» Meanwhile, MP Petros Mandouvalos was called to testify before magistrates on Thursday. Mandouvalos has been charged with bribery and money laundering.
