The presidents of SYRIZA and the New Left, Socrates Famellos and Alexis Charitsis, met Thursday to coordinate efforts for a unified stance on the parliamentary handling of the Tempi train crash investigation.
In a joint statement, the two parties emphasized their shared commitment to “ a full and impartial investigation of the case, with the aim of holding all persons involved criminally responsible for all offences. This development is considered an obligation towards Greek society, which demands Justice and Truth.”
Famellos and Charitsis agreed on the need to establish a new Preliminary Committee in Parliament, explicitly rejecting the prior Triantopoulos investigation referral as unconstitutional and illegal.
The meeting was attended by SYRIZA Parliamentary Secretary Dionysis Kalamatianos and New Left MP Dimitris Tzanakopoulos. The cooperation between their groups will continue as they examine the extensive case file.
This comes as multiple parties, including PASOK and SYRIZA, prepare to file motions for a parliamentary inquiry into former transport minister Kostas Karamanlis over the 2023 Tempi rail disaster, which killed 57 people. SYRIZA also aims to name former minister Christos Spirtzis, though it lacks the numbers to proceed without allies. It appear the splinter party New Left is willing to be one such ally.
The ruling New Democracy party is expected to support a more minimized legal path, favoring misdemeanor charges over felonies, a move criticized by opponents as an attempt to shield Karamanlis.
Meanwhile, a separate judicial process is advancing against Deputy Minister Christos Triantopoulos, accused of tampering with the crash site. A special session of Parliament on Monday appointed members of the judicial council overseeing his case through a public draw from senior judicial bodies.
On Wednesday morning, the Greek Parliament was formally notified of a new criminal case file related to the Tempi train disaster, following a lawsuit filed by 370 citizens — including relatives of the victims.
The case, submitted under Article 86 of the Greek Constitution and the law on ministerial responsibility, targets Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, former Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Christos Staikouras, Deputy Minister responsible for Transport Vasilis Oikonomou, and Deputy Minister for Infrastructure Nikos Tachiaos.
