The Prosecutor of the Supreme Court, Georgia Adeilini, has ordered an immediate investigation into online posts encouraging "online harassment" against the special appellate investigating judge handling the Tempe case. In this document, she includes a social media post that, according to her, targets investigating judge Sotiris Bakaimis, and requests the investigation of possible criminal offenses pursued ex officio.

This is the second Supreme Court intervention in the Tempe case, following the indirect attack by the President of Greece’s Supreme Court, Ioanna Klapa, against Maria Karystianou. The latter, President of the Association of Tempe victims’ families and mother of one of the victims, had denounced the investigating judge, claiming that he had removed the case from the hands of the original judge from Larissa, Eleni Sourla, after an intervention by the PM, with the aim of “covering up the Tempe crime.”

“On 06/03/2023, Mr Mitsotakis personally asked the Prosecutor of the Supreme Court, Mr Doyakos—known for his very close ties with the government—to upgrade the Tempe case to the highest investigative level! Since when does the PM of the country direct the Supreme Court Prosecutor to change the investigating judge of the Tempe case?”

According to Prosecutor Georgia Adeilini:

“While the justice system, through its constitutional bodies, including the special appellate investigating judge appointed by the Plenary Assembly of the Larissa Court of Appeal (as is traditionally done in cases of exceptional importance, in line with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure), struggles and strives to respond to the legitimate and unanimous public demand for the truth about the Tempe tragedy, self-proclaimed defenders of institutions, who will stop at nothing to serve various interests, are in fact attacking the very heart of democracy with their public statements, actions, and posts.”

“In doing so, they not only present the idea of self-justice, a return to medieval practices, and people’s courts as legitimate alternatives to the rule of law, but they go even further. They insult and defame the institutions and those who represent them, targeting them with posts that, at the very least, incite crimes and acts of violence against these individuals through the internet, thus exerting illegitimate influence over judicial officials, in violation of the Penal Code.”

The prosecutor’s statement refers to a specific post that has been shared on social media by an individual identified as T.K. The post targeted Sotiris Bakaimis, accusing him of corruption, obstructing justice, and being involved in fake evidence related to the case. It also included a call to harass him online.

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