Prosecutors Who Released Xeros Prosecuted

Two prosecutors who authorized the first – and last – furlough for convicted November 17 terrorist Christodoulos Xeros who vanished earlier this month, are facing charges of negligence for their role in releasing a man serving six life sentences for his part in six assassinations, including five Americans attached to the U.S. Embassy over the years.
Xeros didn’t return to prison while while on a nine-day leave and has since vowed to return to terrorism, saying he would target political leaders with death for approving harsh austerity measures on the orders of international lenders.
Xeros was given seven furloughs and the investigation is said to be concentrating on the prosecutor who authorized the first, as well as the one who approved the last one from which he walked away.
There are three people on the Kordyallos Prison board, including a warden and social worker as well as the prosecutor. For his last furlough, Xeros got unanimous consent, Justice Ministry officials told The National Herald, defending his release on the grounds that he had returned from six previous leaves.
The investigation has reportedly already rapidly accumulated evidence against the prosecutors, who were not named, and the results are due to be passed on to the state’s highest court on Jan. 27.
Greek officials have continued to feud over who was responsible and pointing fingers at each other although Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias said he didn’t want to get into it with Justice Minister Charalambos Athanasiou over who was responsible for Xeros’s disappearance.
“We all known what happened but now we’re looking to tomorrow,” said Dendias after Athanasiou suggested that it was Dendias’s fault that Xeros was let go. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, the New Democracy Conservative leader who campaigned in 2012 on a law-and-order platform, is now reportedly looking into ways to change the law that allows all prisoners – including mass murderers – to be considered for furloughs.
The major opposition Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) party that has been accused of harboring sympathies for anarchists and terrorists, has spoken out about Xiros’ release and asked why he was allowed to leave prison.
Eleni Zaroulia, a Member of Parliament from the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn whose party leader – her husband – Nikos Michaloliakos is being detained in jail along with half a dozen other party officials pending trial on charges of operating a criminal gang – was disciplined for questioning Athanasiou.
Parliament imposed disciplinary measures against her, proposing that a quarter of her salary be withheld, after she called Athanassiou a “lout” following his response to a question about furloughs to prison inmates.
Christos Markoyiannakis, who was presiding over the debate in the House, called for the action to be taken against Zaroulia after the latter hurled verbal abuse at Athanassiou, having suggested earlier that the minister had no “shame.”