The family of the National Guard soldier with dual Cypriot-Australian nationality, have decided to extend the bill of indictment on criminal charges to include an additional two individuals, with the cases to be filed next month at the Limassol District Court.
According to sources cited by senior Phileleftheros investigative reporter Michalis Hadjivasilis, the family had initially instructed its attorneys to pursue lawsuits against seven people, but that number has now being raised to nine.
As clarified, two separate indictments will be filed, one for four former police officers, who had initially handled the Thanasis case, along with coroner Panikos Stavrianos and a 2nd for the National Guard servicemen involved, two officers and two conscripts, who were in the same unit as Thanasis.
The conscripts are included in the indictment as according to evidence that emerged from testimony back then and cited in the Pappas-Athanasiou criminal investigation, they had attacked and physically abused Thanasis.
The former officers are included as they were aware of the victim’s living conditions and according to the family, did nothing to protect him.
Panikos Stavrianos will stand faced with 47 counts in the criminal indictment, following a study of the findings in the recent criminal report. Stavrianos has repeatedly rejected all charges against him, insisting that there is no foul play involved in the death of Thanasis Nicolaou, who fell, as he says, from the Alassa bridge without other individuals being involved.
What’s uncertain is how Attorney General Savvides will react to the Thanasis family lawsuits, following his own decision not to go through with any criminal action on behalf of the state, but not hinder any private action.
Now however, following new conclusions and the position expressed by the Assistant Attorney General that there is no shred of evidence against Stavrianos or officers on deliberate neglect of duty, there might be a change in the tune of the Legal Service when it comes to the possibility of also suspending any private action.
