Tempi: G. Papageorgiu elected President of Special Court – Trial in December or January
The composition of the Special Court for the Tempi tragedy has been drawn by lot. The trial is expected to commence within December or immediately after 8 January.
Special Court for Tempi: President and prosecutors drawn by lot – trial before or after Christmas
Through a drawing of lots in Parliament, Georgios Papageorgiu, the most senior judge among those selected by the Court of Cassation, has been appointed President of the Special Court for the Tempi tragedy. According to To Vima, this drawing now formally sets in motion the commencement of the first trial into the disaster.
The defendants in the proceedings are former Deputy Minister Christos Triandopoulos, former Regional Governor of Thessaly Kostas Agorastos and officials from the state apparatus.
Composition of the court and prosecutors
The remaining members of the Special Court — regular and alternate — come from the Court of Cassation and the Council of State. Anna Kallouta has been drawn by lot as prosecutor in the trial, with Efstathia Kapagianni as alternate prosecutor.
The law stipulates that the President of the Special Court may determine the commencement of the trial between 40 and 60 days from the drawing of lots of the members. This means that at the latest, the trial may begin at the end of December — a period that coincides with the Christmas holidays.
Two possible timeframes
Information cited by To Vima indicates that two scenarios are being considered: the trial to begin in the first fortnight of December, that is before the holidays, or immediately after, from 8 January onwards.
The courtroom that will host the tribunal has already been selected: it is the Ceremonial Hall of the Court of Appeal of Athens, which according to information will be ready at the end of November.
Historical context: sixth sitting in the post-dictatorship era
The Tempi case constitutes the first Special Court trial for the present government. During the post-dictatorship era, the Special Court has convened a total of five times for various cases.
The two most recent concerned officials from the previous SYRIZA-ANEL government: Nikos Pappas was convicted in the television licences case, whilst Dimitris Papaggelopolos was found guilty of interference in the judiciary, within which context investigations into the Novartis case were also examined.
Source: To Vima