The former Minister of Transport Kostas Karamanlis will appear before the Greek Parliament’s investigative committee Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. to testify about the Tempi train disaster which led to the death of 57 persons.
In previous testimony, the interim CEO of the Hellenic Railways Organization Panagiotis Terezakis, who was an external consultant at the time of the disaster, said “57 lives were lost for nothing” because nine very basic rules from the company’s General Traffic Regulation were violated within five minutes.
Karamanlis’ testimony comes just 10 days before the one-year anniversary of the tragic crash and amidst criticism of both the Greek government and its Supreme court for what has been perceived as slow progress in holding persons accountable for the disaster.
Opposition parties claim that attempts are being made to shield political figures from accountability. And an article published at the end of January by European media company Politico reveals that the same concerns have been previously echoed by the European Public Prosecutor.
Responding to the criticism of Greece’s Supreme Court, just a few days ago its leadership issued a denial against accusations of negligence and procedural delays in legal proceedings.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Ioanna Klapa and Chief Prosecutor Georgia Adilini said that 31 individuals are facing criminal charges in connection with the devastating accident and that trials of the accused will commence without delay.
On account of Karamanlis’ high profile, today’s testimony will be followed with great interest by many, including by the victims’ families.
