Criminal and political responsibility

By Elias Kanellis

I fail to understand why they were celebrating yesterday in SYRIZA after the report of the parliamentary preliminary investigation that probed the machinations of the then SYRIZA-Independent Greeks government, through former minister Nikos Pappas, in order create a pro-government television and radio terrain.

The majority report (New Democracy and KINAL, Movement for Change) does not charge Pappas for the felony of bribe-taking but it does charge him with repeated breach of trust. The evidence is reportedly quite enough to lead to a conviction.

Naturally, every citizen who is confronted by the justice system enjoys the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

Yet, the depositions of witnesses and chief among them that of Christos Kalogritsas allow the majority of the committee to believe that there is sufficient evidence on which to base the charges.

It is noteworthy that the sending of the case file with the minutes from the Committee's meetings "to the prosecutor and the competent authority to combat money laundering regarding funding, publication and transfer of the newspaper 'Documento', and regarding payoffs to the media and journalists in order to probe crimes that can automatically be prosecuted".

I think this formula will be welcomed by all implicated parties who are innocent because the case is in the hands of the judiciary.

On the contrary, those who became entangled in power plays in the SYRIZA-Independent Greeks system should be worried. Democracy is entitled to uncover and prosecute its enemies.

It is interesting that the party that blames all others for serving vested interests was setting up its own vested interests, without principles or ethics.

The majority report...

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