ATHENS — The Athens criminal appeals court reconvened on Friday morning to hear arguments for the suspension of the sentences imposed on those found guilty in the Golden Dawn trial, which will determine whether they will be released pending appeal or go straight to jail.

It is highly unlikely that a final decision will be reached before Monday or even Tuesday next week, given that most of the accused have elected to exercise their right to bring in witnesses to support their case, which is a fairly time-consuming process.

The arguments the court will be asked to consider mainly concern the character of the defendants and the likely harm that incarceration will inflict on their private life and dependents, as well as any pertinent health issues.

Once the defence lawyers have filed their requests and presented arguments for the suspension of their clients' sentences, the prosecutor on the bench Adamantia Economou will address the court to present her own proposals.

If she does so on Friday and does not ask for time to prepare, the defence will then begin rebuttals, after which the panel of judges must retire to examine each case individually and decide on the court's final ruling.