“Pasolini had said that whoever is disturbed by scandals is tres banal. I chose to be tres banal,” said the former minister, among other things
The former Deputy Minister of Justice Dimitris Papagelopoulos, who is on trial together with the former head of the Corruption Prosecution Eleni Touloupaki, has completed his statement before the Special Court on Ministerial Responsibility.
Mr. Papagelopoulos pointed out that his referral to the Special Court is an unconstitutional, illegal and parastatal method and again spoke of lies, enmity and slander against him.
At the same time, the fire of Mr. Papagelopoulos was once again accepted by the prosecutors Panagiotis Athanasiou, Georgia Tsatani and Eleni Raikou, who have denounced him for interference and pressure in their work, and he accused them of hatred, lies and revenge.
As for Georgia Tsatani, the accused claimed that he had a “mission” to file the case of the deceased businessman Andreas Vgenopoulos and tried to “trap” him.
“It was a well-planned plan, a real plot to bury the responsibilities of Vgenopoulos. Her mission was to archive Vgenopoulos,” claimed Mr. Papagelopoulos. At another point, Mr. Papagelopoulos pointed out that he and his family were vilified.
Furthermore, Mr. Papagelopoulos mentioned that his conversations at Megaros Maximos with Nikos Pappa and businessman Samby Mionis were illegally recorded, saying characteristically:
“I was a victim of surveillance long before the predators were found. There were headlines: ‘Secret services locked up Mimi’, ‘EFP and Israelis listened to Papagelopoulos’. How was I being watched? I have never seen a relevant prosecutor’s order. But they were writing them. Why; Were they preparing the ground for the illegal tape recordings of Mionis at Megaron Maximos?”
President (Vasiliki Iliopoulou): Were the surveillances illegal, were the tapes fake?
Papagelopoulos: It was really my conversation with Papa, but what I said played a role in my innocence. All my conversations with Pappa and Mionis were clear and concise. We are talking about parastatus from 2019.
Mr. Papagelopoulos mentioned in another part of his apology that he came before the court fully aware of his innocence and added:
“The trial is political. Your decision, however, is a judicial decision and therefore must be fair, objective and impartial. It must come solely from the evidence in the case file and the proceedings before you. Political pressures, expediencies and balances are not allowed to influence your judgement.”
“All my life – continued Mr. Papagelopoulos – I have tried to serve my country and Justice. Pasolini had said that whoever is bothered by scandals is tres banal. I chose to be tres banal. Scandals have not only criminal and moral disrepute. Our country has not only been ravaged by scandals, it has also suffered other consequences. Which serious investor will come to invest in Greece?
Because I love my country, I chose to be against the scandals. The price I pay, I won’t regret it. The trial is political, your decision I am sure will be a result of the evidence presented at the trial and you will do your duty. Even if pressure has been exerted, I believe that there are judges in Athens”.
Regarding the Novartis case, Mr. Papagelopoulos said: “The biggest scandal since the formation of the Greek state is the Novartis case. The only thing that tops it is his cover up business. Three politicians were bribed by Novartis, I’m not saying that, the conclusion of Mr. Kapsimalis (s.s. this is the prosecutor Panagiotis Kapsimalis) says so.”
The trial continues on February 13, 2023, at the suggestion of the district attorney, Deputy Prosecutor of the Supreme Court, Olga Smyrlis.
RES-EMP
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