Another case file related to the Tempi incident is on its way to Parliament. Specifically, the appellate judge handling the investigation into the deadly railway accident has already sent the case file for examination of potential criminal responsibilities concerning two former Ministers of Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Spirtzis and Kostas Karamanlis.
The case file has not yet reached the Supreme Court of Greece (Areios Pagos) and is expected to be sent in digital form. According to ERTNews journalist Dina Tsoukalas, it concerns the period from 2016 to 2023 and relates to the non-implementation of Contract 717 and the condition of the railway network, including deficiencies that were previously reported. These findings emerged from the testimonies of Ministry officials, including the Deputy Head of the General Directorate of Transport and the Head of the Directorate of Railway Transport. Together with the documents they provided, they pointed to responsibilities, implying that the state of the railway was known in advance.
Thus, the case file is being forwarded without evaluation or criminal classification. However, it appears that the offence of disrupting the safety of transportation at a felony level is indicated. Parliament will ultimately decide what offences, if any, the responsible ministers will be referred for. So far, it seems that any potential offences concerning Mr Spirtzis have been statute-barred.
It is worth clarifying that the case file is first sent to the Supreme Court, and Ms Adilini, the Prosecutor of the Supreme Court, is expected — possibly within the day — to forward it to the Ministry of Justice. These are the intermediate steps before it is finally delivered to Parliament.
Featured photo source: Getty images
Source: ertnews
