The grim situation experienced by the judges of the Three-Member Court of Appeals of Lamia during the trial of Epaminondas Korkoneas is described in a statement by the Union of Judges and Prosecutors. Without naming her directly, the Union outlines demeaning behavior by Zoe Konstantopoulou, who served as the civil plaintiff’s counsel in the case. The Union’s announcement is titled “Third World Conditions in Greek Courts – The Situation Is Now Out of Control” and includes the following points:

“The absence of an institutional framework that ensures the sober conduct of trials is a global peculiarity of our country. Judicial officials are completely unprotected against media spectacles, insults, mockery, and abuse. The situation has reached a breaking point. Bullying as a means of pressure and intimidation does not signify anti-systemic behavior or democratic consciousness—it is simply a method of self-promotion, especially when there is an environment that applauds such actions.”

The Union announces that it will make an official appeal to the International Association of Judges and submit a legislative proposal to the Ministry of Justice for immediate action.

Full Text of the Statement from the Union of Judges and Prosecutors:

Last week, the trial concerning the mitigation of the sentence for the convicted murderer E. Korkoneas concluded at the Three-Member Court of Appeals of Lamia. We will not comment on the substance of the case, beyond what is publicly reported; we have no right to do so. Instead, we will report the shameful scenes described to our Union by members of the court panel—scenes that remained unknown to the public.

At the first session (March 12, 2025), the attorneys supporting the prosecution arrived late, missing the segment on replacing the presiding appellate judge. They continued to arrive late to subsequent sessions following recess. At every session, the court faced aggressive attacks over its actions and decisions.

Most notably, the prosecution’s lawyers vocally claimed that the court’s composition was unlawful and demanded the session be suspended. They regularly insulted the court’s panel, calling them “corrupt judges” and labeling the panel as “planted” or “rigged.”

They repeatedly interrupted the presiding judge, the defense attorney during her presentation of the defendant’s motions, and the prosecutor during both his procedural statements and closing arguments—accusing him of lying.

At every session, they disrupted proceedings with the same arguments, shouting phrases such as “Shame! Shame!”, “Are you judges?”, and “You are lying!” During the final session (June 4, 2025), they announced vague plans to file criminal charges—three times—and demanded to present them orally, forcing the court to pause so the sitting prosecutor could report the matter to the competent public prosecutor.

In the same session, one of the prosecution’s attorneys (Zoe Konstantopoulou) called the police from her mobile phone during the proceedings, speaking loudly and disrupting the hearing, demanding that the regular judges and the sitting prosecutor be arrested on the spot for alleged in flagrante crimes—insisting that a police car be sent immediately to the Lamia Court of Appeals!

After the verdict was delivered, they spoke of “justice being served.” One wonders—by whom was justice supposedly served? By the very judges they had just accused of corruption?

The lack of institutional safeguards ensuring the calm and orderly conduct of trials is a global anomaly, unique to our country. Judicial officials are completely exposed to media theatrics, insults, mockery, and harassment. The situation is intolerable.

Using intimidation as a method of pressure does not reflect anti-systemic sentiment or democratic values. It is simply a tactic for publicity, especially when an environment exists that encourages such behavior.

The credibility of our institutions cannot be upheld through vague proclamations alone. We will urgently address the International Association of Judges to expose the Third World conditions prevailing in Greek courts. We will submit a complete legislative proposal to the Ministry of Justice for immediate intervention.

We declare publicly: such unprecedented conduct will be condemned and denounced openly.
Our patience has run out!