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Monday, 23 December 2024
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Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-01-15Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Top priority to Zachopoulos probeSupreme Court Prosecutor Georgios Sanidas on Tuesday instructed an examining magistrate investigating the activities of former culture ministry general secretary Christos Zachopoulos to give the case top priority. The case has now been forwarded to 2nd special examining magistrate Dimitris Economou, who has the job of collecting evidence related to the case. Meanwhile, Zachopoulos' wife and son have issued a statement pleading for a more sensitive handling of the case by the media, after photographs allegedly taken from the evidence file and showed Zachopoulos engaged in sexual activity with an unidentified woman were published in Athens dailies. Zachopoulos is currently hospitalized and in a serious condition after an attempted suicide over Christmas, the day after his resignation. It is believed he was being blackmailed by a female former associate depicted in the photographs, with whom he was having an affair. His wife and son called on the media to "stop casting stones at a man unable to defend himself" and stressed that even though "he had chosen death it appears that God has spared him". In another development, the finance ministry's Special Audit Service begun to investigate the origins of a large cash deposit made in the account of a well-known journalist. According to an official statement issued by the agency, the investigation was launched on Nov. 2, 2007 and the journalist in question has been summoned twice to provide explanations on December 28 and 31 last year. Meanwhile, a culture ministry employee and journalist Angeliki Rizou from the private TV station "Alter" testified before Magistrate Economou on Tuesday in connection with the alleged extortion of Zachopoulos.The journalist was called in for questioning after investigators were given clearance to examine the phone records of the 35-year-old woman that is implicated in the case. These showed that the journalists had spoken with the former culture ministry employee and close associate of Zachopoulos while investigating Zachopoulos' resignation. Meanwhile, the suspect in the case has filed for a temporary court order banning the papers from publishing photographs of her and Zachopoulos, specifically targeting the company the publishes the newspaper "Proto Thema". The petition notes that the photographs form part of the evidence in the case and are also an affront to her personality. She is also suing the paper's editorial team, with the exception of co-owner and TV journalist Makis Triantafyllopoulos. The hearing for the temporary order has been set for 15:00 on Tuesday. A similar petition has also been made by lawyer Alexandros Lykourezos, who is representing Zachopoulos' family in the case. [02] Athens joins C40Athens joins C40 global climate change initiativeAthens is from now on a member of the International movement of forty large cities of the world, C40, against climate change. During a press conference on Tuesday at the Town Hall, the Mayor of Athens Nikitas Kaklamanis announced the cooperation, while C40 director Simon Reedy spoke on behalf of the Mayor of London Ken Livingston. Kaklamanis stressed that Athens' participation in C40 targets the exchange of information, know-how and the best practice of action in energy conservation and the reduction of gas emission in the city, and added that the municipality is already drafting an action plan for the enviroment under the supervision and help of C40. The programme is due to be ready in the next months. The C40 director welcomed Athens to the first international effort of cities against climate change, adding that Athens will play a serious part in the C40 movement. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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