Ultra-right Golden Dawn leader Nikos Mihaloliakos and party MPs Yiannis Lagos and Christos Pappas on Friday wrapped up their testimony to the examining magistrates concerning some of the charges against them in relation to the party’s activities.

The three were then returned to prison, where they are being held on remand on a charge of joining and running a criminal organisation.

The three were summoned before magistrates Ioanna Klapa and Maria Dimitropoulos to provide additional explanations on new charges against them. Mihaloliakos and Lagos will have to answer on charges of illegal possession of arms and explosives. The summons sent to Pappas concerns illegal weapon possession and violation of the law on antiquities.

On the charges for which the three testified on Friday, the magistrates ordered that Mihaloliakos and Lagos be placed under house arrest and barred from leaving the country, while Pappas was released without restrictions.

These terms will be imposed on them if they should be released from jail on the other charges against them.
The magistrates’ decision was welcomed with applause and shouted slogans by some 100 supporters of the party gathered outside, waiting for the three to be led out and placed into a police van taking them back to Korydallos prison.

Earlier, the party’s supporters had tried to approach the van carrying the three MPs on its arrival and police used flash-bang grenades to disperse them.