By Ioanna Mandrou

The decision of the Special Court is announced today for Nikos Pappas, former Minister of State in the SYRIZA-ANEL government who is on trial for breach of duty regarding his handling of the television license case.

The decision is announced at 10 am, while the process if found guilty will be completed later.

Along with the former minister, the businessman is on trial as an accomplice in the breach of duty Christos Kalogritsas who participated in the tender process for television licenses and denounced the former minister, that he acted on his orders in order for the then government to acquire a channel of its own influence.

Thirteen supreme judges, seven Areopagites and six Councilors of State will decide whether the former close associate of Alexis Tsipras will be declared innocent or guilty. The president of the Special Court, Ioanna Klapa-Christodoulea, will pronounce the decision from the bench, which is irrevocable, that is, there is no provision for an appeal or any other legal remedy.

From the pronouncement of the decision, the regular prosecutor of the trial, Olga Smyrlis, will be absent due to illness, and deputy prosecutor Dimitris Asprogerakas will be present in her place.

Former minister Nikos Pappas is accused of breach of duty to the extent of a misdemeanor and businessman Christos Kalogritsas of complicity in the crime the former minister is facing.

According to the accusation, Christos Kalogritsas, at the suggestion of Nikos Pappas, took part in the tender for television licenses and entered into a virtual contract with the construction giant CCC in order to secure the 3 million euros of the letter of guarantee and to be able to take part in the tender process.

Then, when he could not give the amount of the first installment, the former Minister allegedly interceded for Christos Kalogritsas to meet with other businessmen and find the money. The goal was for the businessman to obtain a television license and for the new channel to be staffed by journalists close to SYRIZA.

The two defendants chose not to apologize in court, but to have their positions developed by their defense attorneys. Nikos Pappas did not even attend the trial as he described it as “political” from the start.

A sensation was caused during the trial by the testimony of Christos Kalogritsa’s secretary, Evalia Diamanti, that “bags and envelopes with money were leaving the Kalogritsa office for the SYRIZA party”. Nikos Pappas filed a lawsuit regarding the Diamantis deposition, although the secretary Kalogritsa did not personally involve him in her testimony about the money.

The district attorney Olga Smyrlis, during her hearing before the Special Court, has proposed the acquittal of both defendants, without her proposal being binding on the members of the Special Court. “No intervention that would create an issue of bias towards Kalogritsa was made by Nikos Pappa.

The accusation of breach of duty lacks any other reference that could constitute a breach of his duties as the competent minister”, was the conclusion of the prosecutor.