Max Merten (1911-1976) was a high-ranking Nazi, who served in Thessaloniki during the years 1942-1944, as director of the military administration of the city. He was the man who signed the transfer of 50,000 Jews from Thessaloniki in hell of Auschwitz and was responsible for numerous kidnappings and looting of their property, the total value exceeded 125,000,000 gold francs, an enormous sum for that time. A part of this treasure was sent to Germany and the rest buried somewhere in Northern Greece, according to estimates.
In May 1957, being a senior member of the Ministry of Justice of West Germany, he returned to Thessaloniki as a tourist, to seek, in one version, the hidden treasure. Recognized by some victims and arrested by order of the Supreme Court deputy prosecutor Andrea Tucson as pending against the arrest warrant from 1947 for war crimes.
Almost immediately the trial detention began pressures from Germany for his release. The government of Constantine Karamanlis seemed to subside. The two countries were now in the same camp as NATO members Greece and the poor were economically dependent from West Germany (immigrants, loans etc). The pressure intensified in November 1958, when Karamanlis official visit to Bonn, to negotiate a loan amounting to 200,000,000 marks.
In January 1959, the Karamanlis government introduced in parliament and pass laws "to suspend prosecution of war criminals", with the excuse that "we must set aside the barriers for the growth of our relations with West Germany," said Justice Minister Constantinos Kallias . The opposition, led by Konstantinos Mitsotakis (Liberal Party), Elijah Tsirimokos (ECN) and Stavros Iliopoulos (ECN), denounces the "pardoning of criminals Greek people" and accuses the government has succumbed to pressure.
Under pressure from the Greek and international public opinion ("Greece amnistefei the massacre" wrote the Times of London) government reneging Merten and excludes from the application of the law (Decree 3933/1959).
On February 11, 1959 begins the trial of Max Merten on the Special Military Tribunal of War Criminals Athens. Causing international concern and monitor readers lawyers and delegates of the largest newspapers in the world. The Merten with Olympian calm hear the indictment and pleads not guilty. Witnesses marching enumerate the crimes committed in Thessaloniki, while only three witnesses testify in his favor. On March 5, 1959, the President of the Military Court, Colonel intestines, reads the verdict of guilt of the accused. In Merten penalty of 25 years in prison merger.
The pressure of the Germans for the release of Merten reach their climax. The Greek government promises in Bonn that just calmed the noise will release him. Karamanlis hesitate to go to the release of Merten, because he is imprisoned (victim of political persecution), one of the pioneers of the Resistance, Manolis Glezos. The right moment came in August 1959. By law 4016, the government amended the relevant legislation (Legislative Decree 3933/1959), leading to "automatically suspended dioxis any German nationals alleged war criminals, and the carrying out of any sentence or the remainder were. Copies of the files are sent to all German Tash. "
Based on this provision, Max Merten was released on 5 November 1959 and deported to Germany, provided to serve his sentence. However, the German courts to fully relieve the absence of evidence. The "Hangman of Thessaloniki" was attributed to white society.
On 28 September 1960, German literature "Echoes of Hamburg" and "Der Spiegel" published excerpts of the testimony of the German authorities and causing many earthquake Richter in Athens. The Merten claimed that Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis, the interior minister and a secret of Dimitrios (Takos) away, his wife Doxoula nee Leonids and Secretary of Defense George Themelis were collaborators with the Germans. The Greek government denies in the strongest manner Merten, the same German. In the House the spirits light. Members of ERE attacking fellow EDA, who was then opposition party. Clashes occur and the sitting was suspended (16 October 1960).
Three of those affected, the pair away and Themelis, proceeded to sue, not the German courts, but in Greek and succeeded in absentia conviction for libel Merten. However, the journalistic investigation revealed that the long occupation as a lawyer in Thessalonica had very good relations with the Germans, his wife was secretary of Doxoula Merten and Themelis appointed Prefect. For Karamanlis not found any evidence to confirm his claim Merten.
The Merten and posthumously occupied Greece, the great mobilization of the 2000 discovery of the Jewish treasure of Thessaloniki, according to some information, was on the bottom in the open Finikounda Messinia. Information allegedly given to a Greek restrained himself Merten. The treasure was never found.
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