Train crash debate mired in acrimony
ND insists on human error, while opposition reiterates criminal responsibility of gov’t officials
As expected, the parliamentary debate on Wednesday on the findings of the committee of inquiry into the deadly February 2023 railway accident at Tempe was overshadowed by the acrimony between the government and opposition parties. The cross-party committee looking into the causes of the train crash in central Greece, which claimed 57 lives and left scores injured, concluded its sessions on Monday with each party submitting its findings.
Parliament on Wednesday debated the conclusions of ruling New Democracy and reaffirmed its inability to formulate a common position on the causes of the accident, with ND citing human errors and the opposition insisting on the existence of criminal responsibility of government officials. To complicate matters further, last week the head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) told Kathimerini that a constitutional provision in Greece protecting ministers from prosecution is “in breach of EU regulations and law” and should change, as it does not allow for the full investigation of the collision. What’s more, on Tuesday, the parents of victims filed a request in Parliament calling for the immunity from prosecution of two former transport ministers – ND’s Kostas Karamanlis and SYRIZA’s Christos Spirtzis – to be lifted.
“We reiterate our proposal to set up a preliminary investigation committee for EPPO’s conclusion, based on the new evidence,” said PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis, without specifying the new evidence and the content of such a proposal.
Earlier, and in response to the remark by SYRIZA’s parliamentary group leader Sokratis Famellos that it is obvious there are indications of criminal offenses by the government, Minister of State Makis Voridis urged him to clarify whether he intends to submit a proposal for a preliminary investigation.
“The evidence that has emerged, but also what the parents and families of the victims have brought out into the public sphere, is more than enough to form a preliminary committee. However, whatever we bring, the government will reject it. We have a political dilemma. Do we follow the obligation we have from the evidence or do we ask for the entire file to be investigated by the judiciary?” Famellos said. To which Voridis replied that “on the one hand you judge that there are criminal responsibilities, on the other you do not even take responsibility for the proposal to set up a preliminary committee.”
ND members of the committee rejected the accusations and defended the conclusions of their report, that the causes of the accident were mistakes by the stationmaster and the drivers. They reiterated that there are, in general, for the state of the railways, long-standing responsibilities and problems that must be resolved.
