The Greek Prime Minister’s interview on Wednesday and his references to the Tempi train tragedy, during which he didn’t rule out the possibility that the freight train carried a “suspicious” cargo- something that he previously had done- when it collided head-on with a passenger train two years ago claiming the lives of 57 people, has caused strong reactions by the opposition parties. PASOK and SYRIZA issued statements accusing the prime minister of trying to distort the truth and manipulate the public.
Through its announcement PASOK directly accused Mitsotakis of blaming everyone else while shielding himself from any criticism. “Although he had firmly assured the Greek people that the explosion was caused by engine oils, tonight he shifted the blame to the Fire Department, Hellenic Train, and OSE,” PASOK noted.
PASOK also emphasizes that the prime minister was forced to address the public following the nationwide rallies with thousands of Greek citizens protesting, demanding justice, while accusing the government of an attempt to disclose facts and valuable evidence and protect political figures involved in the case.
“He can no longer hide; he deliberately invested in manipulation, the vulgar attacks of his ministers, and is now looking for a way to escape his responsibilities,” the statement continued.
PASOK also points the finger at Mitsotakis for granting absolution to Costas A Karamanlis (the minister of transport at the time of the accident), out of fear of losing government majority, were investigations to discover political responsibilities.
“You are a year too late, Mr. Prime Minister. You chose to shield and cover for Karamanlis, rejecting PASOK’s request for a preliminary investigation based on the European Prosecutor’s report on the remote control contract—a system that, had it been installed, would have prevented the collision of the two trains,” PASOK stressed.
In the same sentiment SYRIZA announced: “An inadequate prime minister admitted that he misled Greek society about the possibility of flammable materials being transported on the freight train, which may have cost the lives of dozens of our fellow citizens in Tempi.”
Furthermore, SYRIZA accused the prime minister of admitting that he had instigated the covering up of the crime scene. “Under the pretense of a so-called ‘good cause,’ he confessed to the destruction of crime evidence,” the announcement stated.
Mitsotakis also acknowledged the sham investigative committee, according to SYRIZA. “SYRIZA-PS had called for key figures, including a train drivers’ representative, the head of the remote control committee, the former OSE (Hellenic Train) president, and the ex-CEO of TRAINOSE, to testify before the committee. However, New Democracy rejected the request at the time,” SYRIZA claimed.
SYRIZA called upon the prime minister to commit to allowing the judiciary to judge the political figures involved in the case file—and not whitewash them through a preliminary inquiry designed to defuse public outrage without referring anyone to a proper court.
The announcement also implied that during the interview Mitsotakis deliberately avoided mentioning anything about the case file of the European Prosecutor, who essentially called for a preliminary inquiry into violations of the ministerial responsibility law—an inquiry that the government chose to ignore.
Nor did he address the European Union’s oversight of Greece regarding railway safety.
Concluding, SYRIZA demanded for a parliamentary debate among party leaders, regarding the tragedy. “Mitsotakis must come forward and answer to the Greek people, who are demanding accountability, and then follow the example of his Serbian counterpart, who recently resigned.”