Thanasis Nicolaou’s mother is set to file a private lawsuit against police officers, members of the national guard and the state pathologist who carried out the autopsy on her son who was found dead under a bridge in 2005, it emerged on Friday.
A report in Philenews said the charge sheet was likely to target eight individuals – without excluding the possibility of having more. It is set to be filed next week.
The decision to also include national guard members is linked to their reaction after the news of Nicolaou’s death, it was reported.
Though Nicolaou’s death was ruled as a suicide, his mother has always maintained it was a murder coverup during his time carrying out military service as a conscript. He was aged 26 when he died and his mother has always pointed to evidence she states was deliberately ignored by authorities.
The charges in the lawsuit will centre around what the family is calling a negligent investigation and breach of official duty.
Their allegations are based on the findings of investigators Savvas Matsas and Antonis Alexopoulou. The former was dismissed by the attorney general after he revealed details of the third investigation to the media. He alluded to a cover-up, saying original evidence was ignored after the 26-year-old national guardsman was found dead under Alassa bridge. It was then deemed to be a suicide.
Last year, a huge wave of momentum was built up around the case, leading to belief that the case may be brought to justice after almost 20 years.
A pathologist hired by the family said the findings showed Nicolaou’s death was a result of foul play with strangulation being the cause of death. The pathologist completely ruled out suicide, saying Nicolaou’s hyoid – a U shaped bone that supports the tongue — was fractured and it had been caused before his death.
Coupled with Matsas’ public statements, it led to a belief that things would be different, however, the legal service concluded there were not enough grounds to open a criminal case into Nicolaou’s death.
His mother has recently said her son had spoken to his army seniors about a drug ring, and his death was an attempt to silence him. She has also revealed Nicolaou was bullied intensely by his fellow conscripts, which were worsened because he had grown up in Australia and was a quiet-spoken person.
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