The lawyer of the family of 29-year-old Michalis, who was killed in the bloody events in New Philadelphia, Christos Mavromatis, spoke to ERT and emphasized that the truth is required to bring justice to Michalis, while he noted that he does not know if the perpetrator of the murder is among the arrested.

“The cycle of apologies is over. The charges against the defendants who were acquitted and sentenced to temporary custody are a series of charges that have nothing to do with Michalis’s murder. The three investigators who received the apologies felt procedurally that they were not ready to pursue a charge of first degree murder. They were remanded in custody for other offences. That is why I said that we are expecting pre-investigative material which will help, in the coming days and weeks, to charge some people with the charge of murder. At this moment, the material is not able to lead to safe directions as to who or who participated in the murder of Michalis” emphasized Mr. Mavromatis and added:

“I do not say this as a soothsayer. I’m not afraid of anything. I hope this evidential addition will be made. I believe, I hope and wish that the police are working on this part, that the officers of the Forensic Laboratories of the Hellenic Police are working day and night on this part and I hope as a person, as a citizen, as a lawyer, as a friend of the pardoned that we will arrive safely at who or who are those who had this behavior that led to the brutal murder”.

When asked about the video, which some lawyers claim exists and shows the perpetrator, Mr. Mavromatis emphasized that he has not seen such material. “I have seen the photo published by the media, I have not seen the video because we as a family do not yet have access to the entire case file, because the charge of homicide is still against strangers, so the statement of support for the charge by the brother is still against unknown, has not been specified. Therefore, we still do not have access to the entire case file.”

The advocate of the family of the unfortunate Michalis expressed his fear of provocative logic in the event that there are no quick results. “I’m afraid that now that the apologies of the accused have finished, if we don’t have quick results, safe results, if no material comes that will give us a handle to talk, at least at the preliminary investigation level, with some certainty, that a discussion will start from today , which will more or less have a provocative logic, each will come out, depending on the expediency it serves, and say the perpetrator is Croatian, the other will say that the perpetrator is Greek, the perpetrator is tall, the perpetrator is short. The president of Croatia will have his say. The Greeks will have their say. And I’m not addressing journalists. I am speaking generally to anyone who has a say in this case, serving a specific expediency. Everyone will tell their long story and their short story. We risk entering into a discussion while the material is incomplete, as long as this material does not offer answers”.

In response to a question about whether the material is incomplete because the correct actions were not taken during the arrest process, the answer: “Possibly yes. We don’t want to wrong anyone, we want the truth, we don’t want to take a road and say this is the killer. We want truths.”

At the same time, Mr. Mavromatis expressed his belief that there is material that will lead to the identification of the perpetrator. “I think the material is there. We have video, visual material, we have biological material, we have the means possibly used to commit the crime. We have a spontaneous arrest. Alas, if in this case where we have all this, we do not find the perpetrators”.

Besides, he revealed that he knew Michalis from the stands. “Friendships are created in the stands and relationships are also created. The kids in the stands are good kids, not bad kids.” As for the victim’s family, he emphasized that these people do not have the ability to manage the situation. “You also saw the brother. I wonder how he stood on his feet to make that statement to your colleagues. The pain is unbearable.”

As for the Croatian president’s statement, the lawyer estimated that as a politician it serves a purpose, as it addresses an audience that pressures him. “Of course, I am impressed that the Greek side responds with leaks. Of course, the Union of Judges and Prosecutors responded appropriately, luckily it kept the Greek flag high. It is a given that the judiciary is independent in Greece and it is a given that the accused will have a fair trial”.