A historic day in court
The trial of former Defense Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos on charges of money laundering is a pivotal moment in terms of Greece’s growth into maturity in the post-dictatorship era.
Over the last few decades corruption has eaten away at large chunks of the country’s political system, whose members entertained the idea that they enjoyed complete immunity.
Eventually new investigative magistrates entered the scene, judicial officials who used the meager resources available to them and without much fanfare succeeded in shedding light on some of the most important facets of this large-scale political scandal.
The court will eventually rule on whether the former minister and PASOK heavyweight is guilty as charged, and until that happens the presumption of innocence must prevail.
What is of utmost importance in the Tsochatzopoulos case, however, is that Greek democracy and justice are finally operating in a healthy and determined way.
