The Chief Prosecutor of the First Instance Court in Athens ordered a preliminary criminal investigation after a video recorded during a party at the Athens Bar Association was leaked to the press. The party was held to celebrate the President’s birthday.
The video shows a least least ten people cheering birthday wishes without wearing masks or observing social distancing measures to protect against the transmission of the coronavirus. It is only the President of the GBA who is wearing a mask all the time.
The video and some pictures were posted on social media by some of the participants in the birthday party.
According to state-run news agency amna, the Chief Prosecutor will investigate to determine whether there is a violation of measures against coronavirus in accordance with Article 285 of the Penal Code.
According to ccngreece, the President issued a statement saying that it wasn’t a party and that the participants were some relatives and co-workers, people with whom he is on contact every day. “I have three machines for air sterilization,” the president said adding that the guests “came, we had coffee and wine and left […] the windows were open and I was personally wearing a mask.”
“A colleague posted a picture, they took it from the internet to target me,” he wrote without explaining who were “they.”.
The pictures were quickly deleted from social media, however, they were already save on pcs and mobiles phones and even a New Democracy MP posted them sharply criticizing the event.
Later, a video from the gathering was leaked to newspaper ethnos, the video was posted and reproduced by other media, websites, TV channels and on social media.
The Prosecutor’s mobilization comes after dozens of Greeks on social media accused the government for double standards in the implementation of the measures amid the pandemic.
The news about the birthday party at the ABA coincided with similar news from Thessaloniki, where police fined with 3,000 euros an 18-year-old girl who had organized a birthday party with 7 friends. Each of the participant at the “irresponsible corona-party” (so media) was fined with 300 euros for violating the measures.
On Saturday, it was said on TV channels that authorities could not retrospective fine the participants at the party of the Bar Association president.
But the outcry on social media was too big to be ignored.
ND MP Fotini Pipili tweeted on Sunday that “the majority of citizens approve the prosecutor’s investigation.”
Για να μετρηθούμε τώρα πόσοι επικροτούν την εισαγγελική παρέμβαση για το πάρτι Βερβεσού. Η προϊσταμένη της Εισαγγελίας Πρωτοδικών της Αθήνας έδωσε εντολή για προκαταρκτική έρευνα! Ήδη οι περισσότεροι πολίτες λένε: "Ήταν δίκαιο, έγινε πράξη"! #ΔΣΑ
— FotiniPipili (@FotiniPipili) November 22, 2020
