Supreme Court

There are times when the justice system, or to be more precise, judges, need to provide the public with some kind of explanation regarding decisions they take that have an effect on society’s interests.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has announced that it will present a proposal to have an additional article included in the currently-debated judicial package to secure the release of a jailed lawmaker from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal by the Finance Ministry for a lower court ruling ordering the ministry to rehire hundreds of laid-off cleaning staff to be frozen.

The country’s top court rejected the ministry’s appeal, for a temporary order to freeze a decision by the Athens Court of First Instance, less than 24 hours after it was lodged.

Ehud Olmert, Israel's former Prime Minister, was sentenced to 6 years in jail, thus becoming the first head of government in the country to go behind bars.

A fine of ILS 1 M (USD 289 M) was also imposed on him, while another ILS 500 000 (USD 145 M) is to be seized from him, as judge David Rozen ruled according to the Jerusalem Post.

Golden Dawn, a Greek party often described as "neo-Nazi", will be able to run in the European elections, the country's Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

The court explained that, under Greek law, candidates cannot stand only if they are convicted and not if a probe has been launched against them, the daily Kathimerini reported.

An envelope with three bullets that had been sent to the Supreme Court has been intercepted by police.

There was also a note in the envelope making threats against prosecutors and their families but referring to no specific people. The sender also asked for convicts to be released from prison but did not name any of them.

Four suspects charged in connection with the death of a 13-year-old boy last Sunday at a fairground in Elliniko, south of Athens, were given conditional release pending trial after testifying before an investigating magistrate on Friday.

Supreme Court prosecutor Efterpi Koutzamani asked Parliament on Tuesday to lift the immunity of Golden Dawn lawmaker Artemis Matthaiopoulos so he can face charges of theft in connection with a mugging in central Athens in 2005.

The prosecutor heading an investigation into a secretly filmed video showing former cabinet secretary Panayiotis Baltakos in conversation with the spokesman of neofascist Golden Dawn, Ilias Kasidiaris on Tuesday sent the case file to Parliament which is to decide on whether to lift the latter's immunity to prosecution on charges of making and using an illegal recording.