Nicolaou’s family take action against ‘indifferent’ state

Family members of national guardsman Thanasis Nicolaou, whose lifeless body was found under a bridge in Alassa back in 2005, have instructed their lawyers to initiate criminal proceedings against the state, after the investigation into his death did not yet manage to produce any tangible results.

A statement released on Wednesday by Nicolaou’s family said that “the inaction shown by the public prosecutor’s office shows a continuous indifference to justice.”

“The family of Thanasis Nicolaou, who was cowardly murdered in 2005 while on duty, has concluded that years of countless police investigations, forensic reports and instructions on the case given by the attorney-general’s office have not produced any result leading to the discovery of his killers,” the statement said.

“On the contrary, unnecessary time was simply added to effectively investigate the murder, to the detriment of the police and the public prosecution’s office.”

The statement also slammed the attorney-general’s office for not having been able to guarantee an unbiased, effective investigation into the guardsman’s death.

“Under the current circumstances and due to the ongoing indifference to justice, we have decided to initiate criminal proceedings against the state,” the statement concluded.

Last month, Justice Minister Stephie Dracou said the investigation into Nicolaou’s death was in its final stages and, upon its completion, the file will be submitted to the legal service.

The minister said this is purely the responsibility of the attorney-general Giorgos Savvides and the police in this case take direct instructions from him.

Nicolaou’s death was originally ruled a suicide, a verdict his family refused to accept. They fought long and hard and eventually his body was exhumed, forensic evidence taken and the case reopened.