The defense doesn’t want the protected witnesses to testify – “The irony we see would infuriate anyone,” the family’s attorney said.
Skai was joined as a guest by Maria Hadjikonstantinou, attorney for the family of the murdered police officer Giorgos Liggeridis, who explained the reasons why the defense side does not want the protected witnesses to testify. “From the start of this long trial, the delays started because objections were raised by the natural perpetrator’s side, since his conviction is not irrevocable,” he said.
“Because there was the blatant argument, in my opinion, to separate the sentencing and the natural perpetrator being tried alone, while the co-perpetrators of the homicide of Giorgos Liggeridis being in this court and now having it postponed to a later time, they are using every procedural trick to delay as long as his irrevocable conviction is delayed,” Ms. Hatzikonstantinou.
“The difficult part of the case is that this second degree of jurisdiction should have already been determined – the Court of Appeal that is,” she added. “It hasn’t cleared the decision yet, after 1 year. By February 20 was the deadline when the presiding judge was supposed to sign the certified judgment. This is a matter to which we also object. Three others depend on this trial for the natural perpetrator: the adult co-perpetrators, those who were separated from the co-perpetrators and the present one.”
And he added saying:
“As long as the natural perpetrator has not been consolidated what he has done, how will the co-perpetrator go? We have no answer and because it is already on the 20th of the month two months after the deadline, I recommended that we proceed with a complaint to both the minister and the Piraeus administration. We will do so immediately.”
At the same time – he said – it should have gone without saying that from the pre-trial stage the Justice would have ensured that the protected witness is not accused. “It was felt on the part of the defendants that these police officers should not testify. But the testimonies are many and important and all contribute and testify to the charges,” he said.
“The irony that we see would infuriate not only the parents of George, but every citizen. It is ordinary citizens who come forward and declare “what kind of people are these”. What I’ve learned is that the headlines from some links are Western Truth, you know?”
