Five judges fired for breach of duty

The Supreme Court has fired five judges for breach of duty after finding that they obstructed justice by delaying decisions.

One of them, a first-instance court judge delayed from 36 to 130 cases annually during her years of service. In addition, at least 187 case files were removed from her jurisdiction, following 11 negative annual reviews.

While she was subject to disciplinary fines and was denied promotion, the Athens Bar Association and other stakeholders had complained repeatedly about her performance, which forced colleagues to pick up her work.

Another first-instance court judge, who also delayed issuing decisions and had been fined, was not fired. She cited consecutive serious health problems including surgery and an 11-month leave. As she had caught up on almost all cases, she retained her position.