The lawyer representing coroner Nicolas Charalambous, who was suspended following the death of a 24-year-old Pakistani man, has accused the government of making his client a scapegoat for political purposes.
Speaking to ANT1 television, lawyer Theofanis Andreou questioned the Justice Minister’s decision to suspend Charalambous, noting that the suspension letter failed to specify the grounds for investigation or cite any legal framework for the action.
“The minister, who is also a legal professional, has no legislative basis for this investigation”, Andreou said during the interview.
Andreou claimed the Health Minister’s public statements violated his client’s presumption of innocence.
He emphasised that no legal framework exists mandating a coroner’s presence at crime scene examinations, describing current practices as informal arrangements.
The lawyer strongly defended Charalambous’s handling of the autopsy, stating that his client legally conducted the post-mortem examination and was responsible for discovering and recording the bullet as the cause of death.
Charalambous was suspended following what authorities described as an incorrect initial assessment that the Pakistani man’s death was not the result of criminal activity.
Andreou warned that legal action would be pursued, including potential lawsuits against the state and appeals to the Council of Europe. Speaking to SIGMA television, he dismissed statements by Hartsiotis as vague and “lacking basis in law or logic”.
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