Greece court cancels TV license overhaul; blow to government
Court Alerts
A high court has canceled a television license auction in Greece, dealing a blow to the country's left-wing government which carried out the sale as part of an anti-corruption drive.
Judges from the Council of State court ruled 14-11 late Wednesday that the auction in September was unconstitutional because the process bypassed an independent media regulator.
The ruling means the government will have to pay back money it has received from the 246 million euro ($275 million) sale. And its plans to reduce the number of national private broadcasters from seven to four will be canceled.
The auction triggered a major political spat over corruption and control of the news media.
Opposition parties accused Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras — whose left-wing Syriza party is a relative newcomer to mainstream politics — of trying to gain influence over the news media.
Tsipras had made the auction the centerpiece of his reforms. He argued it would sever a corrupt relationship between traditionally powerful political parties and industrialists who used media ownership to seek lucrative state contracts — a relationship the government said created decades of financial mismanagement and was a cause of Greece's crippling financial crisis.
In weekend speech to party members, Tsipras had promised to defend the license overhaul.
Related listings
-
Pakistan's top court seeks reply from PM over money scandal
Court Alerts 10/20/2016Pakistan's Supreme Court Thursday sought a reply from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in response to several petitions seeking his resignation over a financial scandal involving his family. The court gave Sharif two weeks to submit his response, Sharif's...
-
Former Ohio officer charged with murder due back in court
Court Alerts 10/14/2016A former college police officer charged with murder in the fatal traffic-stop shooting of a black man is due back in court. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Megan Shanahan set a Friday pretrial hearing, ahead of the planned start of jury selection ...
-
Court fight over Ohio executions likely to focus on sedative
Court Alerts 10/14/2016Ohio says it's resuming executions in January with a three-drug protocol similar to one it used for several years. The concept is one adopted for decades by many states: the first drug sedates inmates, the second paralyzes them, and the third stops t...
New Rochelle, New York Personal Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP, in New Rochelle, New York, immediately. We can answer all your questions and work with you to determine if you have the grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. The attorneys at our firm are determined to resolve even the most difficult of cases. We will work closely with you to determine the best course of action to get your claim or case resolved in the most efficient way possible. We will fight for your right to compensation! No one should have to suffer a financial burden from the result of another person’s carelessness. The attorneys at Kommer, Bave & Ollman, LLP will aggressively fight to ensure that justice is served on your behalf.