The prosecutorial intervention follows concerns raised from the first hearing on 23 March, when relatives of the victims and defence lawyers pointed to problems with the functionality, safety and overall suitability of the venue for such a major criminal trial.
As part of the prosecutor’s order to the special preliminary investigation office, the building service of the municipality of Larissa has been asked to provide all necessary information about the building, including the number and date of issue of the original building permit for GAIOPOLIS and its intended main use. Information has also been requested on any subsequent permits, revisions or amendments concerning the change of use of the space to a courtroom, as well as the date on which they were issued.
In the same context, legal documents and approvals have been requested for the installation of screens, seating and other alterations in the ground-floor atrium being used for the trial. In addition, certified copies of the full building permit file have been sought, including floor plans, drawings and all amendments from the construction of the building to the present, as well as documents relating to any legalisation of unauthorised structures.
At the same time, the Larissa fire service has been asked to send the full fire protection file for the building, in order to determine whether the new configuration complies with the fire safety and fire protection rules that apply to public assembly spaces. As part of the same preliminary investigation, the appointment of a civil engineer as expert is also envisaged, in order to carry out an on-site inspection of the conference centre and produce a detailed report.
The expert will be asked to examine whether there have been breaches of planning rules, whether the facilities, particularly the first-floor courtroom and the ground-floor atrium, meet the necessary standards of legality and suitability for use as a courtroom, and whether safety and functionality requirements are being met. The investigation will also examine whether there is a lift or elevator for people with mobility problems, along with any other issue the expert considers necessary for the full documentation of the case.
Finally, in a supplementary order, a competent official from the Ministry of Justice’s technical services has been asked to provide detailed information on the work carried out after the handover of the hall in order to make it suitable for this specific trial.
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