Top prosecutor re-elected in wake of claims against government

Isidoros Dogiakos was re-elected as the head of the Athens Appeals Court prosecutor’s office on Saturday in the wake of accusations that the government attempted to exclude him from the contest.

Dogiakos received 39 of the 82 votes in Saturday’s ballot, nine more than the second-placed candidate, despite originally being disqualified from the race. He was banned by the Supreme Court’s disciplinary panel after it deemed that he insulted the top court’s president, Vassiliki Thanou. The verdict was seen as having the coalition’s backing.

Opposition parties complained about the decision and accused the government of intervening in the judiciary but Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos denied this was the case. The Supreme Court decided at the last minute to overturn his ban and allow Dogiakos to take part in the ballot.