A new courtroom for trials involving multiple defendants was inaugurated by George Floridis at the Court of Appeals of Athens, presenting projects to upgrade the facility, costing over 5 million euros, as well as new initiatives.
Giorgos Floridis on the new courtroom and the renovation of the Court of Appeals
At the Athens Court of Appeals, Minister of Justice George Floridis was at the Athens Court of Appeals, inaugurating the new multi-judge courtroom and presenting all the measures that have been implemented to upgrade infrastructure and enhance the security of judicial officials, employees, lawyers, and citizens.
The courtroom, which has been in operation for several months now, was inaugurated in the presence of Deputy Minister of Justice Ioannis Bougas, the Secretary General of the Ministry Pelopas Laskos, the Chief Judge of the Athens Court of Appeals Sophia Lignou, the Presidents of the Court of Appeals Dimitris Kontopoulos and Kostas Sargiotis, as well as court officials.
“It is with great pleasure that we inaugurate this courtroom. It was one of the first decisions we made when we first arrived at the Court of Appeals with Mr. Bougas, so that trials with large numbers of participants could be held here,” stated George Floridis, emphasizing that its creation was a priority for the ministry’s political leadership.
Ongoing Projects – Renovations and the new judicial map
The minister made special mention of the air conditioning project, which has been completed in all courtrooms. “Air conditioning was a nightmare from the very moment we took office,” he remarked, noting that the total cost of the projects already delivered exceeds 5 million euros.
For her part, the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, Sofia Lignou, highlighted the most significant projects completed recently, such as the installation of air conditioning and the replacement of flooring across 5,500 square meters, improvements that enhance the building’s functionality, cleanliness, and safety.
Ms. Lignou also mentioned the completion of work to close off the access ramp to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, noting that the importance of the project became apparent following the recent incident involving the 89-year-old man who entered the premises of the former Magistrates’ Court. At the same time, the security gates have also been put into operation.
The Minister of Justice also presented the projects currently underway, discussing the redevelopment of Justice Square on the site of the former Magistrates’ Court, as well as the bidding process for the project to develop the Court of Appeals’ underground parking garage, which has a capacity of 1,500 spaces and remains underutilized.
At the same time, the head of the Court of Appeals set as her next goals the replacement of the elevators and the restoration of the roof of the building.
George Floridis also highlighted the ministry’s collaboration with the Court of Appeals’ administration, which is moving forward with organizational changes, including the creation of a criminal division. As previously announced, details regarding the reform of the judicial map and its impact on the speed and efficiency of the administration of justice.
