Mother accuses legal service of cover-up in Thanasis' death

Andriana Nikolaou, the mother of National Guardsman Thanasis Nikolaou, launched a new attack on the Legal Service following coroner Panikos Stavrianou's request to overturn a previous conclusion by death investigator Dorias Varosiotou. Varosiotou had determined that Nikolaou's death was caused by strangulation, contradicting earlier claims of a voluntary fall.

In a public statement, Mrs. Nikolaou accused the Legal Service of protecting those responsible for her son’s death. "This agency, instead of being an impartial institution upholding the rule of law, defends and supports crime, fraud, and cover-up," she said.

She emphasized her belief that her son, who had uncovered drug trafficking within his camp, was murdered to silence him. "It is delusional to believe that someone could fall 30 meters onto gravel without sustaining external injuries," she added.

The Supreme Court convened on Wednesday, granting Nikolaou’s family's lawyers until September 5 to file their objection. All parties will reconvene on September 10 for further instructions and arguments.

Assistant Attorney General Savvas Angelides, representing the Legal Service alongside lawyers Elli Papagapiou and Christia Kythreiotou, stated that the Attorney General would not contest Stavrianou’s request, despite acknowledging "serious legal errors" in the initial court's conclusion. "The decision not to appeal is not based on legal aspects, even though there are significant legal errors identified," Angelides said.

Nikolaou family lawyer Nikos Clerides criticized the Attorney General's stance, citing a "conflict of interest" and asserting that the Legal Service had "passionately supported" Stavrianou's position during the investigation.

As proceedings continue, Stavrianou has refrained from commenting but promised to speak once the process concludes. The next session is scheduled for September 10 at 11:00 a.m.

[Information sourced from 24 News]