Tempi trial: Six defence counsels deny charges – request submitted to EU court
Six defence counsels for accused persons made statements at the trial over the Tempi disaster, denying the charges. A request for a preliminary ruling was submitted to the EU court.
Tempi trial: Denial of charges and request to EU court
According to naftemporiki.gr, during today's hearing in the trial over the tragedy at Tempi, defence counsels for six accused persons made statements, including the counsel for the night-shift station master on 28 February 2023 and the counsel for the then head of the Larissa Inspection Department of the Traffic Support Service for Central and Southern Greece.
Station master's defence: 'Gross negligence, not malice'
The station master's counsel, Stephanos Pantzartzidis, argued that the alleged malice does not constitute the offence of endangering the safety of transport, but rather gross negligence. He stressed that the station master worked in an environment of 'heightened probability of human error' and under 'intense time pressure', whilst critical safety systems were absent and played a decisive role in the final outcome of the collision.
Pantzartzidis also invoked lack of causal link: the station master knew, he argued, that between his actions and the result intervening other mitigating factors — among them the driver of the passenger train, who could have stopped the train as soon as he realised it was moving on the down line instead of the up line.
Request for preliminary ruling to the EU
The counsel for the accused inspection head, Themistoklis Sofos, submitted a request to the court for a preliminary ruling to the European Union Court of Justice. The question concerns the compatibility with Union law of the separation of the case file for the same historical event — specifically the case file concerning contract 717 being handled by the European Public Prosecutor's Office.
He stressed that his client denies the charges as 'baseless, untrue and groundless', clarifying that in 2020 he was appointed as temporary inspection head and it did not fall within his remit to evaluate the station master's experience. 'Not only did he not accept the breach, but he fought the breach by every means', said Sofos, citing documents and letters sent by the inspector warning of gaps in safety systems and understaffing. He also referred to the responsibility of the afternoon-shift station master, who according to the indictment left his post early.
Denials from the four other accused
The other four accused also denied the charges. Their counsels argued, as applicable, that the omissions attributed to their clients do not fall within the scope of their responsibilities.
The indictment: 36 accused, five offences
A total of 36 persons are on trial — officials from OSE, ERGOSE, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Hellenic Train and the Railway Regulatory Authority. The offences attributed to them as applicable are five:
For the felony of dangerous interference with fixed-track transport with possible malice — from which resulted the death of a large number of people, serious bodily injury to more persons and significant damage to public utility installations — 33 persons are accused.
For the misdemeanours of manslaughter through negligence, grievous bodily injury through negligence and simple bodily injury through negligence, 35 persons are accused. For dereliction of duty, 3 persons are accused.
The trial continues on Monday 13 July with the independent submissions of the remaining accused.
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)