Former justice minister defends controversial law

Former justice minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos on Thursday defended a law passed under the previous SYRIZA-led government allowing the early release of certain prisoners after coming under widespread criticism following a fatal robbery involving a recently freed convict.

Accusing his critics of “exploiting the issue of inmate release to gain political points,” Paraskevopoulos said it was wrong to connect the robbery in Thessaloniki, which resulted in the fatal shooting of a 27-year-old jeweler, to the fact that the offender had benefited from the law to secure early release from prison.

“At some point inmates are released,” he said. “Blaming the legislator, the judge or the person who served the sentence in the event of a relapse is unjustifiable and damaging,” he added.