The trial of the defendants charged with criminal conspiracy in the case of the murder of Giorgos Lingeridis.
Today, a witness testified, who heard commotion outside the stadium for quite some time from the center of the stands where the organized supporterswhere he was located.
Witness: I saw 20 people coming out. They were dressed in black, wearing hoods, and running. They entered the stadium through one entrance and ran out through the other. They weren’t sitting in the stands. The match had been suspended at that time due to tear gas, and the stadium was gradually emptying of spectators. I went to the restroom and saw a fire.
Chairperson: Did you see any clothes burning?
Witness: There were a lot of things. Plastic, paper, rags.
Presiding Judge: Fabrics?
Witness: They might have been, yes. I’m not sure.
It should be noted that the witness identified five of the defendants from photographs shown to him by police officers during the preliminary investigation, and he testified during the preliminary investigation: “They showed me over 100 photographs; I identified 5. (…) put on a surgical mask to cover his face and went outside. Then someone came and spoke to (…) and they went outside as well. Presumably, they went to the riots.”
Today, before the court , the witness stated that he does not recall the two organizers from the stands going outside and that he was pressured by police officers.
Witness: They pressured me to say specific things. For example, they pressed me on whether I had seen anyone there. I kept saying I didn’t remember. “You can’t possibly not remember; just say yes or no.” If I gave them any answer in between, they didn’t like it. In general, they tried to make me accept their conclusions.
The witness was also asked questions about a specific group of organized Olympiacos fans.
Prosecutor: What do you know about the activities of this specific group?
Witness: They’re involved in attacks outside the stadium. They attack fans of other teams and get into altercations with police officers.
Police officer assigned to sports violence response who was on duty the night of the incidents at Metagogon, received two anonymous phone calls with information and details.
Witness: On the phone, the caller said, “If you’re looking for the short guy, you’ll find him (…) and you’ll find the weapon there too.” I also received a USB flash drive containing 14 videos.
The police officer received this information four months after the incidents, on the day the police were carrying out the operation to arrest the defendants, prompting a reaction from the defendants’ defense attorneys.
Defense attorney: I’m surprised by where this information came from, given that the operation was conducted under conditions of extreme secrecy, as announced by the Athens Police Headquarters. The only logical explanation is that it was leaked by the defendants themselves, or rather, that the leak came from the police.
Witness: No, what you’re saying isn’t true.
