Former alt. justice minister found guilty of 2 counts of breach of duty; majority decision announced by special court

Former alternate justice minister Dimitris Papangelopoulos was found guilty, in a majority decision, of two counts of breach of duty while in office.
The verdict was handed down by appellate-level justices serving on a special court.

He was acquitted of a charge of moral complicity in an instance of abuse of power, as well as on another three counts of breach (or dereliction) of duty.

Moreover, 13 high-ranking justices acquitted the former head of the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office, Eleni Touloupaki, of abuse of power charges.

Papaggelopoulos was absent from the courtroom, for the first time since hearings began, when the verdict was read, as he was reported ill over the past few days.

He served as the alternate justice minister during the leftist SYRIZA government between 2015 and 2019 and was sharply criticized for his alleged behind-the-scenes role in the ultimately ineffectual Novartis kickback judicial investigation in the country – headed for more than two years by Touloupaki.

Papangelopoulos served as high-ranking prosecutor for decades, and was even appointed as the head of the national intelligence service (EYP) in the waning months of the Costas Karamanlis government in 2009.