A case that should have served as an opportunity to restore public trust in institutions risks becoming an example of how poor handling can undermine even initiatives that begin with good intentions. That is because we do not wish to believe that certain actions are being taken deliberately.
The decision to appoint independent criminal investigators was, under the circumstances, necessary. This is despite the fact that several respected legal experts have expressed concern that the move is leading the entire case towards an unprecedented fiasco.
The matter concerns the completion of a criminal process relating to serious allegations of corruption and abuse of power that touch every level of authority. Under such circumstances, the choice of the individuals tasked with completing the process should leave absolutely no room for doubt. That is precisely where the problem lies.
The resignation of legal expert Christos Mylonopoulos from the original team of appointed investigators was not an unforeseen development. Concerns about a possible conflict of interest had been voiced publicly from the very beginning.
Nevertheless, the government chose to ignore them, insisting that no issue existed. In the end, developments proved the government's own arguments wrong.
Instead of prompting a degree of self-criticism, however, attention immediately shifted to the next appointment, which has also been accompanied by public reactions and questions.
The problem is not only who gets appointed. It is the mindset that appears to be guiding the government's handling of the matter.
In a case of this magnitude, the government should have acted with heightened sensitivity and awareness, rather than assuming that public reactions would fade over time.
Instead of safeguarding the process from the outset, it found itself reacting to developments and responding after the fact to issues that should already have been assessed.
The completion of the criminal process in the "Mafia State" case will be judged in due course.
The credibility of the process, however, is already being judged now.
And so far, the government's handling of the matter is not strengthening public confidence that the process is unfolding with the degree of independence, transparency and institutional sensitivity that the seriousness of the case requires.
