In Brief
VARTHOLOMAIOS DEATH
Tests reveal that IKA chief suffered from heart problems The late IKA chairman Yiannis Vartholomaios suffered from heart problems, including the narrowing of coronary arteries, forensic experts at the Athens University said yesterday after concluding the first set of tests on samples taken from the body of the civil servant who died last Friday after an altercation with a Finance Ministry employee who has been charged with murdering the 66-year-old. Doctors said that Vartholomaios had not been taking medication for his condition and had probably not been aware of his heart problems. The results of toxicology tests will likely be known on Tuesday as experts try to discover whether Vartholomaios was killed by blows to the head or if he died from a heart attack. EDUCATION BILL Government just ‘days away’ from submitting draft law to Parliament The much-debated bill which will reform tertiary education in Greece is almost ready and will be submitted to Parliament in a few days, high-ranking government sources told Kathimerini yesterday. Education Minister Marietta Giannakou has analyzed the 800-page document and will seek the Inner Cabinet’s approval before unveiling it publicly. The draft law will aim to introduce tougher rules, such as a time limit for students to complete their courses, in the tertiary education sector. N17 APPEAL Prosecutor wraps up her summation Prosecutor Efterpi Koutzamani yesterday concluded her summation in the November 17 appeal at Korydallos Prison. She asked judges to drop charges against Angeliki Sotiropoulou, the girlfriend of the group’s hit man, Dimitris Koufodinas. Sotiropoulou has been accused of being an accessory to the murder of the British military attache Stephen Saunders in June 2000. Murder hunt Authorities issued four arrest warrants yesterday for the men they suspect murdered 22-year-old soccer player Theodoros Panagoulias in the Peloponnese last July. Police are looking for a 49-year-old nightclub owner from Aigion, his 29-year-old son, a 25-year-old man who works at the nightclub and an Albanian man who has been deported from Greece. Panagoulias was found beaten next to railway lines near the town of Aigion and died in the hospital a few days later. Suspect dies A 35-year-old man died yesterday at a police station on the northern Aegean island of Thassos, officers said. The man, who had been detained on suspicion of dealing drugs, collapsed when he was taken to the island’s main police station. Police said that they called an ambulance immediately but doctors confirmed that the man had died. The cause of death was not immediately known. Panathinaikos defeat Panathinaikos and AEK are due to meet in a local soccer derby tomorrow hoping to rebound from midweek losses in the UEFA Cup. Playing late Thursday, Panathinaikos lost 3-1 at Lens in a UEFA Cup Round of 32 first-leg match. A night earlier, AEK lost its first-leg tie, 2-0 at home, against PSG. Panathinaikos and AEK are locked in a battle for the Greek league’s second place and a berth in the pre-group qualifiers for next season’s Champions League. Canteen checks Prefectural inspection teams from Iraklion, Crete, detected 27 school canteens selling unsuitable or banned food items to students out of a total of 32 schools checked. The findings have been handed to Prefect Vangelio Schinaraki for further action. No details were released on the types of infringements committed. Cannabis find Police arrested an Albanian truckdriver in the area of Kastoria, northern Greece, yesterday after uncovering 80 kilos of cannabis hidden in his vehicle. With the help of sniffer dogs, police found the cannabis hidden in the front cabin.
