Violanta: Families of five victims lodge appeal against owner Tziortziotis's release
The relatives of five workers killed in the Violanta explosion are appealing against the release of owner K. Tziortziotis.
Families lodge appeal against Violanta owner's release after six months in custody
According to Dikastiko.gr, the relatives of the five women who lost their lives in the fatal explosion at the Violanta factory are expected to lodge an appeal against the release of owner Konstantinos Tziortziotis. The appeal will be submitted on their behalf by their lawyer Christos Patonas.
Tziortziotis was released on Tuesday afternoon after six months in pre-trial detention. The lifting of custody was approved until the regular court hearing and was accompanied by restrictive conditions: a ban on leaving the country and the obligation to appear once a month at the competent local police station.
The owner is expected to stand trial on charges of explosion with possible intent, manslaughter through negligence with multiple victims and causing bodily harm to multiple victims. The explosion, which cost the lives of five workers last February, is attributed to an underground propane gas leak.
Statement from defence lawyers
Tziortziotis's lawyers, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos and Giorgos Panagiotou, issued a joint statement immediately after the decision to lift pre-trial detention.
"Almost 7 months have passed since the fateful day when 5 employees of the Violanta factory lost their lives in an explosion caused by an underground propane gas leak," they said. "Months of emotional suffering for the families of the victims, months of anxiety for the 350 workers about their jobs, months of distress for Konstantinos Tziortziotis, because the women who were lost in such tragic circumstances were friends, fellow townspeople, his own people."
The lawyers concluded with a commitment on behalf of the company: "These women sadly will not return, but the company will be a support to the children and families of the victims forever — it is the least that can be done, honouring their memory in deed."
Source: Dikastiko.gr