Maxim defends Floridis over "filling" — court ruling confirms "filling" at Tempi
The Maxim protected Justice Minister Floridis completely for his statements about "filling". The Judicial Council ruling confirms that the "filling" at the site of the Tempi tragedy actually took place.
Government protection of Floridis: Marinakis says "there is no issue" — ruling says otherwise
Less than 24 hours after the Prime Minister's internal recommendations for "measured, unified and accurate speech," the Maxim rushed, according to In.gr, to fully protect Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis for his insistence on statements that "those who speak of filling are talking about filling."
This phrase had sparked a storm of reactions. Beyond being recorded among arrogant and toxic ministerial expressions, it constitutes direct interference in the work of Justice concerning the pending case of "filling" at the site of the railway disaster at Tempi — a case that has already officially taken the path of the Special Court, with the former close collaborator of the Prime Minister Christos Triantopoulou among the defendants.
"There is no issue with Mr Floridis"
Despite this exposure, Floridis returned in an even more blunt manner, characterising his phrase about "filling" as "the most justified phrase" and speaking of "conspirators" who "are asking me to resign after I exposed them," in line with what SKAI reported.
Subsequently, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis protected the minister on behalf of the Maxim, stating emphatically that "there is no issue with Mr Floridis." Marinakis separated two things: on one hand, the investigation by Justice into "actions, omissions, measures" in the management of the site; on the other, "all this scenario that was set up in Greece" about "filling" with the aim, according to him, of "covering up an illegal cargo."
He simultaneously attacked the opposition, asking whether "those who spoke of orchestrators of the cover-up," such as Nikos Androulakis, "what should they do" if they are now calling for Floridis's resignation. He concluded that "we will not allow them" to equate "two different things," calling the opposition "supported by some media outlets."
Government sophistry: from fact to motive
According to In.gr's analysis, the Maxim is attempting to shift the discussion: instead of the actual fact of the illegal alteration of the site of the tragedy — the "filling," which is not disputed to have taken place — the government turns attention to the motives behind it.
In this context it uses the questions that the opposition had raised about the causes and rationale for the "filling," as well as the then discussion about "illegal cargo" — the existence of which the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself had left open even in an interview with Alpha on 29 January 2025. With this framework, since there was no illegal cargo to conceal, the Maxim implies that there was essentially no "filling" either.
What the Judicial Council ruling says
The Judicial Council ruling itself, however, confirms that the "filling" took place, and moreover makes clear that for the judges there is no doubt that this caused significant damage to the work of Justice, hindered investigations and caused harm to the victims.
According to what has come to light, the ruling characteristically states that those involved "had the purpose, by hindering investigations for the collection of evidence, of unlawfully intervening in the ongoing investigative procedure, from which criminal liability arose for specific individuals." The same text notes that the alteration of the site took place while "not all victims' bodies had yet been located," including among them "passenger Erietta Molho remained unaccounted for."
The ruling also describes the purpose of "damage to the state and specifically the functioning of justice," as well as "obtaining unlawful moral benefit for those responsible for the crimes under investigation."
Cover-up as a legal concept
According to In.gr, this formulation of the ruling corresponds exactly to the legal definition of cover-up — regardless of whether the government attempts to avoid the word and dispute its content.
The "filling" as a fact — the illegal alteration of the site of the disaster — remains undisputed based on the ruling itself. The reasons for which it was committed remain a matter of the criminal investigation pending before the Special Court. The government, intervening publicly once again, leaves the matter to be judged by Justice — which will decide what was sought to be concealed and with what purpose.
Source: In.gr