New Tempe lawsuit against ex-ministers heads to Parliament
A new lawsuit filed against former transport minister Kostas Karamanlis and his deputy Michalis Papadopoulos over a deadly train collision at Tempe in 2023 has been forwarded to Parliament.
The lawsuit, filed jointly by the partner and parents of a victim accuses the former New Democracy ministers of dereliction of duty. The case was submitted by judicial authorities to Parliament because the charges are against an officeholder, which requires an approval by a majority o MPs to move forward.
The lawsuit is also directed against the stationmasters of Larissa and “any competent third party,” such as the general secretary of transport, the heads of the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) and national railway operator TrainOSE, or CEO who was legally obliged to ensure “the smooth and safe operation of trains and to ensure that OSE and TRAINOSE are equipped with the remote control system, a second stationmaster as well as any other suitable means or ways which would prevent the fatal railway accident.”
It also targets any person who exposed passengers to risk, or is responsible for the insufficient maintenance of trains or any other act resulting from the prosecutor’s investigation.
