Greece’s main opposition party PASOK is set to finalize a proposal on Monday calling for felony investigations into nine political figures from New Democracy and SYRIZA for their alleged role in the Tempi Train Disaster.
The 2023 train collision cost 57 lives and two years out, public calls for accountability reached a fever pitch, with some of the largest demonstrations in the country since the end of the dictatorship.
At noon today, PASOK’s Parliamentary Group will reportedly ratify the final text of its proposal during a video conference. The document seeks a preliminary investigation into possible criminal responsibilities for “disturbing the safety of transportation.”
The proposed charges are based on Article 291 of the Greek Penal Code, which criminalizes disruption of the safety of fixed-track transport—whether through direct action or negligence. This offense carries serious penalties, including imprisonment ranging from three years to life. PASOK alleges that the officials in question were repeatedly warned by railway authorities and service directors about dangerous conditions on the Athens-Thessaloniki line but failed to take corrective action, thereby allowing unsafe operations that led to the fatal accident.
The list of targeted officials reportedly includes former Transport Ministers Kostas Karamanlis (ND) and Christos Spirtzis (SYRIZA), along with seven former deputy ministers—Michalis Papadopoulos, Giorgos Karagiannis, and Yiannis Kefalogiannis (ND); and Panagiotis Sgouridis, Marina Chrysoveloni, Nikos Mavraganis, and Thanos Moraitis from the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition. PASOK contends that the statute of limitations does not protect the SYRIZA-ANEL officials, following a new interpretation of legal responsibilities outlined in the Government Gazette.
Government spokespersons were quick to accuse PASOK of politicizing the tragedy. Minister of State Akis Skertsos claimed the party was acting hastily and irresponsibly, saying the 10,000-page case file which reached parliament at the end of April, could not have been adequately reviewed. He added that PASOK is “repeating old mistakes” in its attempts to revive political tensions.
PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis defended the initiative in a Saturday television interview, stating that key officials were warned about the deteriorating safety conditions of the railway network but failed to act, effectively allowing unsafe operations that led to the deadly crash.
Meanwhile, SYRIZA and the New Left party are reportedly in talks to support a joint motion, while the Communist Party (KKE) is pushing for a broader parliamentary probe to hear from all key witnesses.
Meanwhile a recent expert report by Professor Dimitris Karonis of the National Technical University of Athens, delivered to the appellate investigator more than a year after the Tempi rail tragedy, has again started debate about an alleged government coverup of the crash. This report ruled out the presence of suspicious cargo on the freight train—undermining theories based on other expert reports that a smuggled substance caused the post-collision explosion. Based on soil samples and delayed video evidence verified by police, Karonis suggests the fire likely resulted from engine oil and gases igniting due to the violent impact. This report has been decried by opposition parties and families of victims as incomplete.
While the findings carry significant narrative weight in the public and political sphere, judicial sources told To Vima that they are not legally binding and do not alter the criminal status of the 43 current defendants or any ministers that will be charged. The findings may influence how judicial authorities frame felony charges of endangering transport safety, a central accusation in ongoing and upcoming inquiries, including the potential referral of Karamanlis to the Judicial Council.
