Tempi trial: "Station master had no prior experience, performed duties alone for third time"
The lawyer of station master Vasilis Samara argued that his client returned to OSE in 2022 without any previous experience in the position and performed duties alone. Themis Sofos submitted a request for a preliminary reference to the European Court of Justice.
Tempi trial: "Station master had no prior experience, performed duties alone for third time"
The nineteenth hearing of the trial into the railway tragedy at Tempi took place before the three-judge felony court of appeals in Larissa, with the defendants presenting their independent arguments.
The lawyer of the station master who was in the control tower on the fateful evening, Stefanos Pantzartzidis, criticised the charge of possible intent attributed to his client. According to him, Vasilis Samara returned to the Organisation of Greek Railways in 2022 without any experience in the specific position and with minimal familiarity with night shifts. That evening was essentially the third time he had managed the station's responsibilities alone, as until then he had never been left without a colleague.
On 28 February, he had been placed as the sole person in charge at one of the most important stations, whilst more experienced colleagues of his had left earlier due to problems arising from shortcomings by the organisation. "One cannot fail to be brought to one's knees in this process. The feelings are deep and sincere. However, this does not preclude there being a trial within the framework of the rule of law," the lawyer noted.
Subsequently, Themis Sofos, who represents Dimitris Nikolaou, filed a request for a preliminary reference to the Court of the European Union. He argued that his client faces dual criminal proceedings for the same incident and that the charges attributed to him are unfounded.
Mr Sofos levelled strong criticism at Konstantinos Pavlopoulos, stating that he left before the end of his shift. "If he had remained until 23:00 as he was obliged to, he would have arranged the suburban train," he said characteristically.
The hearing was adjourned and will resume on Monday 13 July. The president of the court informed that on 21 July the dates of hearings for September and October will be announced, with approximately ten hearings per month being scheduled.
Source: in.gr
Source: In.gr