Presiding judge in Golden Dawn trial warns of releases from custody
The presiding judge in the ongoing trial of Golden Dawn politicians and supporters on Friday appealed to prosecution lawyers to speed up proceedings, warning that detained suspects faced release from custody in February.
Addressing lawyers in the makeshift courtroom in Attica's high-security Korydallos Prison on Friday, Maria Lepeniotou, stressed that several defendants, including Giorgos Roupakias who is charged with the murder of leftist rapper Pavlos Fyssas, would be up for release from custody in February when the maximum 18-month period for detention is to expire.
"Be brief," Lepenioti told lawyers during a lengthy exchange regarding the testimony of a police officer witness. "The pre-trial custody period will end in February and you will complain then that the trial is dragging on."
The last few sessions of the court have chiefly involved the testimony of several police officers who were on duty on the night when Fyssas was killed in September 2013.
