Kechagioglou to ProtoThema: “The prosecutor’s role permeates society” — The trial of the 21 Tempi students and Irene’s acquittal in Hong Kong

About the pervasive “prosecution” successful society, the value of the presumption of innocence, the proceedings of the mishap with the 21 students successful Tempi successful 2003, and the invalidation of Irini successful Hong Kong spoke with transgression lawyer Sakis Kechagioglou interrogation to Direct protothema.gr and Giorgos Eugenidis, presenting his 35 years of acquisition successful the ineligible assemblage and his presumption connected the relation of justness successful an situation of aggravated societal pressure.

Sakis Kechagioglou, 1 of the country’s best-known transgression lawyers, spoke astir his agelong vocation successful transgression law, noting that the property and benignant of the advocator play a important relation successful the narration with the client. As helium noted, “criminal advocacy is identified with the lawyer himself. They travel for the caput of the office,” stressing that spot is simply a cardinal constituent successful the enactment of an advocate. He referred to the opening of his vocation astatine the broadside of Alexandros Lykourezos, noting that from a young age, helium had the accidental to enactment successful important trials, specified arsenic that of Giorgos Koskota, which made him much wide known. “I was fortunate astatine the opening erstwhile I was a spouse of Lykourezos and was progressive successful large trials, I became known to the federation astatine the property of 31,” helium said.

He stressed that effectual advocacy is not astir theatrical impressions, but astir cognition and professionalism. “The dude style, insulting the judges and putting connected a amusement for the lawsuit to telephone maine a fighter, is excessively old. It’s outdated. What is needed is simply a operation of courtesy, ineligible knowledge, and system of expression,” helium said.

“We are not defending offences, we are defending people”

The transgression lawyer peculiarly focused connected the presumption of innocence, noting that nine often violates it. “I don’t deliberation the transgression lawyer tin prime and take cases. If you marque exceptions, you’d amended instrumentality a pew successful a church. We are not defending offences but people,” helium said, adding that galore times the nationalist forms an sentiment without knowing the lawsuit file. “There should not beryllium a nationalist cognition due to the fact that the record is known by those who are connected trial. In the cafes, however tin they person an opinion? How bash they cognize the lawsuit file? Only the justice tin person an opinion,” helium said.

In the aforesaid context, helium referred to the improvement helium called “insanity“, noting that the inclination of generalised strictness has dispersed successful society. “The incurable illness of prosecutor’s illness permeates the full society,” helium said, stressing that the medication of justness requires composure and committedness to the facts.

Asked if determination is corruption successful the judiciary, helium replied that spot successful institutions is simply a basal prerequisite for the functioning of the regularisation of law. “If determination is grounds of corruption successful the judiciary, it should beryllium reported,” helium said, portion advocating for maintaining the existent method of selecting the enactment of the judiciary.

The proceedings for the 2003 Tempe accident

He made peculiar notation to the proceedings for the autobus mishap successful Tempe successful 2003, successful which 21 students died. Sakis Kechagioglou described the ambiance successful the courtroom, noting that contempt the gravity of the case, the proceedings were conducted with organization calm. “The ambiance was calm and polite contempt the 21 blessed families, the defence and prosecution lawyers were successful implicit harmony, and determination were nary demonstrations either, though the authorities was liable due to the fact that for years they had been shouting that the tract was a carmaniola and they didn’t hole it.”
He noted.

At the aforesaid time, helium stressed that successful immoderate transgression proceedings, the absorption remains connected the accused. “The cardinal fig successful a transgression proceedings is the accused,” helium said, adding that the justice indispensable analyse the motives and property of the idiosyncratic successful the dock. “I ever spot the idiosyncratic down the accused. I privation to cognize the springs and motives,” helium said.

The Vayoni lawsuit and the acquittal of Irene successful Hong Kong

The well-known transgression lawyer referred to the Vayoni case, noting that helium has reservations astir the ineligible appraisal of the act. “I americium inactive of the sentiment that the determination was wrong. I deliberation it was fatal bodily harm, not intentional homicide,” helium said, noting the value of ineligible mentation and the judges’ appraisal of the facts.

Sakis Kechagioglou besides spoke astir the lawsuit of Eirini Melissaropoulou, who was accused of transporting cocaine to Hong Kong and yet acquitted, a lawsuit that was the taxable of his book. He said the determination was based connected the jury’s uncertainty arsenic to whether the young pistillate knew what she was transporting. “The assemblage doubted whether Irene knew what she was carrying. I had asked them: How bash you pb a young miss to situation for 30 years? She was ending her life,” helium said, noting that uncertainty is simply a cardinal rule of transgression law. “This uncertainty indispensable besides beryllium successful instrumentality successful Greece,” helium added.

Relationship with religion and idiosyncratic cognition to life

In the interview, helium besides referred to his idiosyncratic narration with religion, noting that helium treats the contented of religion with discretion. “I americium precise cautious to publically proclaim matters of faith. Usually, determination are hypocrites down the proclamations,” helium said, stressing that religion is simply a idiosyncratic matter.

He said his nonrecreational vocation has brought him into interaction with Church affairs and said helium believes successful the immortality of the soul. “I perfectly judge successful eternal beingness and the immortality of the soul. But not successful eden and hell. What signifier immortality volition instrumentality remains to beryllium seen, but I person the deepest religion that we bash not extremity here,” helium noted.

Sakis Kechagioglou added that helium remains progressive successful the ineligible assemblage aft 35 years of practice, stressing that helium is not reasoning astir retirement. “I don’t program to retire, but I don’t program to dice successful the courts either. I find this speech comical,” helium said.