Suspect sues Siemens judge
The daughter of one of the main suspects in the Siemens bribery scandal yesterday filed a suit against the judge who had been handling the investigation into the case. In June, magistrate Nikos Zagorianos took the unusual step of remanding in custody the wife and two daughters of former Siemens Hellas General Manager Christos Karavelas, who has been on the run from authorities for several months. The judge detained the three women, who were also suspects in the case, after it emerged that the executive had disappeared and failed to appear in court to answer questions about his alleged role in the payment of bribes to politicians and public officials to secure state contracts. Now Karavelas’s daughter Salina is taking legal action against Zagorianos, claiming that his decision to remand her in custody was «baseless» and «indiscriminate.» Her legal team is claiming that Zagorianos, who last month was taken off the investigation, made the decision solely to satisfy public opinion after Karavelas eluded authorities. Authorities are still seeking the ex-Siemens official.
