98. In the case of Law Office of Ghazi Suleiman v. Sudan (I), the Commission concluded that: “…the fact that State officers carried out the publicity aimed at declaring the suspects guilty of an offence before a competent court establishes their guilt violates their right to be presumed innocent”.15 99. The European Court of Human Rights adopts a similar position in the case of Konstas v. Greece where it decided that it is in violation of the right to be presumed innocent, the fact that the Deputy Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister of Greece referred to a case pending before the court by stating that it was “an unprecedented scandal of deliberate and planned embezzlement of eight million euros” and for referring to the suspects as “crooks”.16 As such, the Court targets Government employees and “stresses the importance of the wording used by representatives of the State in remarks made before a person has been tried and found guilty of an offence”.17 100. In a significant manner, the Court considered by recalling its constant jurisprudence that the presumption of innocence cannot cease to apply until a final judgement is passed. The Court also extended this right to include appeal proceedings.18 In another decision, the Court extended the persons targeted to include “public officials”.19 Whereas for his colleagues their virulence and peremptory nature constituted the determining factors, the Court considered the specific political post of the Minister of Justice. As such, the Court concluded that: “As Minister of Justice he embodied, par excellence, the political authority 15 Law Office of Ghazi Suleiman v. Sudan (I) Communication 222/98 and 229/99 (2003) AHRLR 134 (ACHPR 2003) para 56. Underlined by the Commission. Konstas v. Greece (ECtHR 24 May 2011) paras 14-16. Paras 32-33. 18 Konstas para 36; Englert v. Germany (ECtHR 9 October 1985) para 35; Nölkenbockhoff v. Germany, Application No. 10300/83) 19 Kouzmin v. Russia (ECtHR 18 March 2010). 16 17 28

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