Initiatives to Prevent Release of Dangerous Criminals Pending Trial

Gavel (Photo credit: FadderUri)

An initiative to modify the existing legal framework in order to avoid the release of potentially dangerous criminals from prison due to the expiration of the 18-month period for they can be held on remand pending trial was announced by the government earlier this week. According to the state news agency, Justice Minister Antonis Roupakiotis' decision was prompted by the recent release of a prisoner held for the double homicide of two police officers in Rendi and other cases where delays in the judicial investigation and start of a trial resulted in the release of criminals wanted for serious criminal offences of major public interest from prison.

Roupakiotis said that he will immediately table an amendment in Parliament modifying trial rules so that the pre-trial proceedings for such controversial cases, including the main investigation and the process involving judicial councils, must be completed within a set period of time, followed by the setting of a trial date as a priority.

Under the new rules, the examining magistrate's investigation must be completed within six months and a trial hearing set within one year. In order to enable this to happen, difficult cases will be assigned to two or more examining magistrates at a time and a public prosecutor will set a trial date by priority, not more than 40 days after the documentation for a case is transferred. More importantly, the ability to keep these deadlines will be a decisive factor for the promotion of public prosecutors and justices.