Τwo brothers charged with involvement in the assassination of a noted Greek investigative journalist were acquitted of related charges on Wednesday, part of the prominent Karaivaz murder case
A mixed jurist-juror panel found one of the brothers, 49, not guilty due to reasonable doubts, in a 5-2 verdict. The presiding judge and another jurist were in the minority, saying he should have been convicted of direct complicity in a homicide and illegal possession of a firearm.
A 6-1 verdict acquitted the other brother, 41, with one judge voting in favor of a conviction on similar charges.
Greek police (EL.AS) announced the arrest of two suspects last July in relation to the Karaivaz murder. The latter was gunned down in broad daylight outside his southern Athens apartment building in April 2021.
The Karaivaz murder shocked Greek public opinion and made international headlines at the time.
Two helmeted men, by all accounts, riding atop a scooter followed the victim, who specialized in crime reporting, with one of the two firing and striking him repeatedly at close range with an automatic handgun.
An ongoing police investigation continues into the reason for Karaivaz’s gangland-style assassination, with authorities scrutinizing a possible organized crime link.
A series of mob-linked shootings and bombing have rocked Greece over the past few years, with rival gangs employing “murder contracts” to settle scores and carve away “territory”.
