Ruling New Democracy (ND) party on Tuesday proposed the convening of a preliminary committee of inquiry in Parliament to investigate the possible liability of former transport minister Kostas A. Karamanlis – one of the party’s current deputies – in the deadly Tempi rail collision of late February 2023.
However, ND’s proposal refers to the committee’s review of a dereliction of duty offense by Karamanlis, a first cousin and namesake of former premier Costas Karamanlis, which is a misdemeanor.
The development sparked sharp criticism from opposition parties, which have demanded that any Parliament committee of inquiry investigate felony-level charges against the deputy and former minister, who is elected from Serres prefecture in northern Greece.
On their part, ND Parliament representatives said the proposal is based on “real evidence from an indictment conveyed by the relevant appellate judicial investigator,” while insisting that no “criminal intent to disrupt the safety of transports” – the felony offense favored by the opposition – arises. The center-right party also again charged that Parliament’s opposition parties are “instrumentalizing” the Tempi tragedy for political gain.
In a sharp reply, main opposition PASOK party charged that the proposal by government majority in the legislature to convene an inquiry only over an alleged misdemeanor smacks of a “cover-up”, and is mere “legalistic acrobatics”, as well as comprising a fast-track process aimed at exonerating the former minister through the judicial council – the latter is comprised of top justices tasked with deciding whether to file criminal charges against an individual and send the case to court for trial.
Leftist SYRIZA, on its part, says it will submit its own proposal, calling for a full investigation of all those involved, “no matter how high up they are”, including the Prime Minister himself.
ND’s proposal left out former transport minister Christos Spirtzis, the transport minister during three years of a SYRIZA coalition government between 2015 to July 2019, saying that although he may have liability for never implementing a long-delayed and crucial contract (717) – i.e. a new rail signaling and remote management system along the tracks in central Greece – the statute of limitation has run out in his specific case.
