NEWS

In Brief

NO CHARGES

Supreme Court lets off 326 judges who failed to declare source of assets Head of the Supreme Court Romylos Kedikoglou said yesterday that 326 judges who had not submitted declaration of assets or «pothen esches» forms would not face criminal prosecution. Kedikoglou said the judges were not being charged because it was deemed that their forms had not been submitted due to oversight rather than intent. Last year, five judges who were found to have repeatedly failed to submit forms on purpose were suspended. Kedikoglou said another four could be suspended for the same offense. YOTOPOULOS LAWYERS Court adjourns hearing to January 19 after N17 chief gets representation The appeals hearing of members of the November 17 terrorist group will resume on January 19, the court decided yesterday, after appointing three new lawyers to defend the group’s mastermind, Alexandros Yotopoulos. It was the court’s third attempt to appoint lawyers to defend Yotopoulos since he walked out of the trial last month and fired his defense team. His new lawyers are Giorgos Kavouras, Theodoros Angelis and Theodoros Theoharis. PATRAS 2006 Stopgap artistic director appointed A little-known director, Alexis Alatsis, was yesterday appointed the temporary artistic director of Patras 2006 – European Cultural Capital. His appointment came after the previous director and former PASOK culture minister Thanos Mikroutsikos resigned, citing serious organizational problems and a lack of government funding. A permanent artistic director will be appointed when the Patras 2006 board next convenes. Deputy Culture Minister Petros Tatoulis said that Mikroutsikos had failed to cooperate with auditing teams tasked with checking how funds were used. Bomb explosions Arsonists threw a petrol bomb at a branch office of the ruling New Democracy party in Exarchia, central Athens, early yesterday, causing minor damage, police said. In a separate incident an hour later, a bomb made of gas canisters went off outside a branch of Aspis Bank in the city center, damaging the front entrance and the ATM. No one was hurt in either of the attacks, said police, while adding that no group had claimed responsibility for the attacks. Yiossakis testimony Former priest Iakovos Yiossakis was yesterday given an extension until Wednesday to testify before magistrates investigating allegations about a trial-fixing ring. Yiossakis has been accused of acting as a middleman in the ring. Yiossakis said that there would be «unexpected surprises» when he finally testifies. His trial for theft of antiquities has been adjourned until January 16. Albanian protest A group of about 100 Albanian youths staged a demonstration yesterday outside the Greek Embassy in Tirana to protest the murder of a 17-year-old Albanian in the Cretan port of Rethymnon on New Year’s Day by a group of six Greeks and a Bulgarian. Cyprus envoy Veteran United Nations diplomat Michael Moller yesterday officially assumed his duties in Nicosia as the special representative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Cyprus and director of the UN’s peacekeeping force on the island (UNFICYP). Moller, from Denmark, replaces Zbigniew Wlosowicz of Poland. Bad nuts The Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) said yesterday that some 50 kilos of blanched almonds, packaged under the Gustoso brand, are being withdrawn from the market as unfit for consumption. Illegal immigrants A 54-year-old truck driver was arrested after 22 illegal immigrants were found hidden in the back of his vehicle, port authority officials in the northwestern port of Igoumenitsa said yesterday.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.