An appeal has been made directly to the Greek “motherland” as the window closes to bring an alleged murderer to justice for a 25-year-old killing.<\/p>\n
Father-of-two George Giannopolous was fatally stabbed when he intervened during a fight in a Sydney suburban nightclub on Anzac Day in 1999.<\/p>\n
His sister on Tuesday made a public appeal in both English and Greek for information to help hold the 32-year-old’s accused killer, James Dalamangas, accountable for the Belmore attack.<\/p>\n
“It’s been 25 years of battling through loss and grief with no justice or closure to help us through this pain,” Toula Giannopolous said.<\/p>\n
Police have never been able to trace Dalamangas – an underworld figure considered one of Australia’s most-wanted men – after he reportedly fled to Greece shortly after a warrant was issued for his arrest.<\/p>\n
After attempts to extradite him failed in 2003, Greek authorities agreed to begin their own prosecution over his alleged role in the killing.<\/p>\n
That process was suspended in 2007 when he could not be located, but investigators believe he is still residing in the European country.<\/p>\n
Ms Giannopolous said her brother was a loving husband and father, adding that the siblings’ now-elderly parents had long suffered because of his death.<\/p>\n
“I believe there’s people both here and in Greece who are covering (Dalamangas) up and it makes it damn hard for my family,” she said.<\/p>\n
Ms Giannopolous called for the alleged murderer to turn himself in, saying justice would mean everything to her family.<\/p>\n
NSW Police superintendent Grant Taylor said police believed there were people in Greece who knew where Dalamangas could be found.<\/p>\n
“We want to emphasise that the family is Greek as well,” he said.<\/i><\/u><\/p>\n
“They’re appealing to the hearts of the motherland.”<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n
Australian Federal Police superintendent Jared Taggart said his organisation had been working closely with Hellenic Police as the 25-year-long Greek statute of limitations neared its end in April.<\/p>\n
Once the period was up, the prosecution of Dalamangas within Greece was unlikely.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n “We will continue to do whatever we can to bring him back to Australia,” Detective Superintendent Taylor said.<\/p>\n A $200,000 reward remains in place for information leading to Dalamangas’s arrest and jersey online casino<\/a> police released an image of what the 54-year-old may look like today.<\/p>\n Dalamangas’s brother Peter died in 1998 after being held to the ground by up to seven security officers during an altercation at Sydney’s Star City casino<\/a>.<\/p>\n A magistrate described the now-fugitive as the “catalyst” for the brawl, in which he was also injured.<\/p>\n