Senior managers of the St Basil’s nursing home owned and run by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese will be forced to give evidence in a coronial inquest after losing an appeal in Victoria’s highest court.
Kon Kontis was the chairman at Saint Basil’s and Vicky Kos was the director of nursing when Covid hit the home in July of 2020 resulting in the death of 50 people.
The coronial inquest is investigating the deaths of 50 people at St Basil’s Aged Care Home in Fawkner, in Melbourne’s north, in 2020.
This time last year the coroner ordered the pair to give evidence to the coronial inquest, but then pair have been to court repeatedly to try to overrule it, saying it would potentially put them at risk of incriminating themselves. They finally went to the Court of Appeal that court this morning dismissed their appeal.
The ruling was welcomed by the lawyer representing the families of the residents who died, praised the decision as a “fantastic result”.
Also read: St Basil’s managers forced to answer coroner’s questions about deadly COVID outbreak
John Karantzis from Carbone Lawyers said that “The families will be over the moon”.
He said the decision paved the way for the investigation to continue.
“The families need to know what was happening on those days, during that time when their loved ones were dying and left alone, cold, dying in their own beds at the facility,” Mr Karantzis said.
Their bid to avoid giving evidence sparked fury among grieving family members.
There is still a way to go as part of the legal manoeuvring maybe over the inquest itself has to stay on hold while some separate Worksafe charges against St Basil’s work their way through the courts.
Read more: St Basil’s aged care charged over fatal COVID cluster
