Judge’s resignation highlights fraught ties of judiciary and gov’t

In a historically unprecedented move, the president of the Council of State, Nikos Sakellariou, on Wednesday quit his post over leaks to the media of the court’s deliberations on a new round of pension cuts due to come into effect next year. Sakellariou, who had been due to retire next month, announced his resignation in a televised statement, citing the ‘violation of confidentiality of the court’s deliberations on the new pension system and the significant disruption it has caused to the whole of Greek society.’ ‘My thoughts are with ordinary citizens who are the victims of bailouts,’ Sakellariou said. His resignation served to highlight the increasingly fraught relationship between the leftist-led government and the Greek judiciary. [Pantelis Saitas/ANA-MPA]