Rapid developments in the Pispirigou trial, with the lawyer of the accused in the death of 9-year-old Georgina stating his intention to withdraw after the unanimous rejection of his requests to call witnesses.
According to dikastiko.gr, Alexis Kougias requested a one-week break to decide what to do and to inform the president of the DSA.
"After the unanimous rejection of all my requests I have decided to withdraw from the defense. This is a landmark trial and I have never seen such an insult to the rights of the accused. The way they were dismissed while time was spent even on coffee drinks...you are depriving the accused of her rights. I want the court to be exposed. The accused cannot remain without a lawyer. I want to inform the president of the DSA why I have never left a trial and that the accused has time to find a lawyer before you appoint her. If he doesn't find it, we'll see what happens, but I want the president of the DSA to be informed," noted Alexis Kougias.
"If the advocate leaves, I respect that and I will accept it. However, whether the court will stop for a week to tell us whether it will continue or not is not possible. If you want some hours to think about it and decide. You are experienced. If you do not continue, an admissibility form must be submitted. The accused cannot be without a lawyer even for an hour! I do not accept it as a prosecuting authority. If you cannot continue, you must file it and then the court will decide," said the prosecutor.
Earlier, Alexis Kougias had submitted a series of requests to the court in order for some witnesses to testify again and to revoke the decision not to call some others. The lawyer of Roulas Pispirigou asked for the revocation of the court's decision that the professor of toxicology Nikos Raikos refused to testify again, in order to provide clarifications about the toxicological quantitative determination test he carried out in his laboratory.
In addition, the pathologist Stamatis Theocharis, the medical examiner Symeon Messogitis, and the supplementary examination of the pediatric cardiologist Yiannis Papagiannis were requested to testify. For the latter, during the defense he must explain the findings captured in the autopsy photos.
Source: Nation