Double standards
For a moment, Greek citizens thought that the state had begun to implement the law. There indeed seemed to be judges out there who did treat all citizens as equal, regardless of their economic class or political connections. The recent decision by a court in Nafplion to sentence a well-known business tycoon to jail for 48 months – after finding him guilty of repeated violations of the town-planning legislation – gave some hope that Justice could be served. But the hopes proved short-lived. The ruling was not carried out. One hopes that the reason was the incompetence of the police authorities. One also hopes that this does not turn out to be another case of the state protecting political cronies who intend to continue with their illegal construction projects. It goes without saying that if the offense goes unpunished, the police will lose all moral legitimacy in implementing the law on misdeeds committed by less privileged citizens.
