Roll call for court officials
Supreme Court prosecutor Giorgos Sanidas told judges and prosecutors yesterday that he would be checking up on them to make sure that they were not skipping work and causing the judicial process to slow down. In a circular, the recently appointed Sanidas said there was evidence that suspects who had been caught in the act were sometimes not taken to court immediately due to a lack of on-duty prosecutors. He said the absent prosecutors sometimes instruct police and decide the legal fate of the suspects over the phone because they live far away from the court. Sanidas said that often there was also a shortage of judges at the courts. The Supreme Court prosecutor said that judicial officials will have to be present in court when they are supposed to be on duty, including on weekends. He said their absence was also allowing the work of the police to go unchecked. Sanidas added that suspects who are caught red-handed should be put on trial immediately unless there are exceptional circumstances.
