Once again, tension flared at the Lamia Court of Appeals, where the appellate court is examining whether to grant mitigating circumstances for the previous lawful conduct of Epaminondas Korkoneas, the former special guard who shot and killed Alexandros Grigoropoulos.

The trial was adjourned until May 30, but not without tensions and a change in the presiding judge.

The session saw a heated exchange between Korkoneas’ lawyer Vasso Pantazi and the Grigoropoulos family’s legal representative Zoe Konstantopoulou, who, along with Nikos Konstantopoulos, has handled the case since March 2010 on behalf of Alexandros’ mother, Gina Tsalikian, and his sister, Areti.

According to Lamiareport.gr, Ms. Pantazi stated that 17 years later, the court is still discussing the mitigating factor for Korkoneas, and she accused Ms. Konstantopoulou of building a political career at the expense of the defendants. She then temporarily left the courtroom.

Ms. Konstantopoulou condemned Pantazi’s behavior, calling it unacceptable and provocative, claiming it aimed to derail the legal process. Heated words were exchanged, and both Nikos and Zoe Konstantopoulou filed a formal request to recuse the presiding judge, arguing that she failed to protect them from what they described as an abusive attack by Pantazi.

It’s worth noting that the current presiding judge was appointed by the Athens Court of Appeals after the President of the Lamia Court was recused. In court, it was stated that the husband of the Lamia court president had been a candidate with the political party “Course of Freedom,” and therefore she could not preside over the case. However, the official reason for her replacement was cited as health-related.

The civil action lawyers, Nikos and Zoe Konstantopoulou, requested a review of the documents related to the change in the court’s composition, arguing that the process was not carried out legally. Additionally, they submitted the required fee for their request to disqualify the presiding judge.