September 26, 2023 – Lawyer Athanasios Kaymenakis, representing most of the arrested members of the Bad Blue Boys in Greece, stated that the investigation would not end quickly due to the amount of evidence and that none of the arrested would be released until the trial. He believes that most of the charges will be dismissed in court and is pleased with the development of the case.
“We are waiting for the results of the DNA analysis; our next step will largely depend on that. Depending on whether someone’s DNA is found near the victim’s body or not, we will ask the court for release, temporarily or on bail until the trial,” Athanasios Kaymenakis said for HRT / writes Index.
11 Criminal Offense Accusations
He added that indictments were brought against the suspect for organized crime, use of explosive devices, causing serious bodily injury, and causing disorder. They are accused of a total of 11 criminal offenses.
“I think that none of those who happened to be there at that time will be released until the trial. The video we submitted to the court supports our view of the event. All aspects of the case are carefully considered. It is questionable whether explosive devices were used. Time will tell,” he said.
He emphasizes that he believes most of the charges will be dismissed in court and is satisfied with the development of the case.
“I am confident that most of the charges will be dismissed in court. I am satisfied with the development of events. And that we were able to change public opinion. If everyone does their job properly, we will establish what really happened. I am confident that most of the charges will be dismissed”, he said.
Antolić: The evidence was irretrievably lost
Krešimir Antolić, a former member of Dinamo’s board, emphasized that there is such a process called a criminal investigation; there are investigative tools, and he is sure that a month and a half is not too long a period.
He points out that at the very beginning, there was a mistake in the criminal investigation.
“Investigation in such crimes is important because it fixes traces. What I saw from the material is that the morning after the event, everything was washed away with a hose. This is not good, and the evidence was irretrievably lost,” he emphasized.
“There was a fight between two groups, and 7 Croatian citizens were injured. I emphasize that no Greek citizen was prosecuted,” Antolić said.
Ambassador: We sense optimism for the Bad Blue Boys in Greece
Aleksandar Sunko, the Croatian ambassador to Greece, said that cooperation with the Greek justice system consists of correct communication but that they do not engage in evaluations of the ongoing process or in evaluating its outcome.
“Legal deadlines are flexible here and there, and we don’t know how long the investigation will last. Cooperation with the prison system is routine, but as far as the investigation is concerned, official evaluations cannot be obtained,” he said.
“More than 100 people have been charged with 11 criminal offenses. We expect it to be differentiated, to say more precisely who is accused of what. In communication with the lawyers of our citizens, we can sense optimism that the latest developments related to arrest warrants could be an indication of how the process of specifying the indictments is taking place and that we will soon we will know who is accused of what and who is going to court, who is being prosecuted as a misdemeanor, and who is going free,” he said.
Miljević: 100 people cannot be held accountable for murder
Lawyer Veljko Miljević emphasized that he found it strange that there were 11 criminal offenses as initially they heard four. “There are too many criminal acts that they are charged with,” Miljević said. “This is a serious crime where identity verification is not the norm,” he said.
He adds that in his first statement, he said he believed the Greek police were triaging based on video footage. “As for murder, if it is not established who committed it, no one can even be held accountable for it because criminal responsibility is individual,” he said.
He adds that 100 people cannot be held accountable for murder. As he says, most people should be held accountable here for offenses against public order and peace in a more serious or minor form.
Police arrested the Bad Blue Boys on a warrant from Greece
On September 23, the police launched an operation to arrest members of the Bad Blue Boys fan group due to a European arrest warrant from Athens. Nine BBB members were arrested, and one is still being sought.
European arrest warrants for fans who fled Greece after the riots arrived in Zagreb earlier, as Jutarnji list announced, citing unofficial sources. “Arrest and extradite the Bad Blue Boys to us,” states the request of the Greek authorities with a list of ten names of Dinamo fans suspected of having participated in the riots in Athens on August 7, the evening before the 2nd preliminary round of the Champions League between AEK and Dinamo, when 29-year-old AEK fan Michalis Katsouris was killed.
