The trial over the deadly Tempi rail disaster is entering a critical phase, with judges expected to issue their first major procedural ruling on who will be allowed to participate in support of the prosecution.
The Three-Member Court of Appeal for Felonies in Larissa is due to examine objections raised by defendants regarding the legal standing of various parties seeking to support the prosecution during the proceedings.
The next stage of the trial is expected to begin with the prosecutor’s recommendation on which of these applications should ultimately be accepted.
However, during the previous hearing, lawyers representing victims’ families and injured survivors stated that objections had also been raised against the participation of the Greek state. The issue created a procedural dispute over the order in which arguments should be heard before the prosecutor presents her recommendation. The court indicated that the matter would be clarified at the next session.
Most of the defendants’ objections concern the participation of approximately 50 bar associations and the national train drivers’ union.
Dispute Over the Greek State’s Participation
The Greek state has sought to support the prosecution only against three station masters who were on duty on the evening of February 28, 2023, and against the then head of a railway traffic support inspection department.
Lawyers representing those defendants argued that the state’s participation should not be accepted. They maintained that long-standing deficiencies in Greece’s railway safety systems played a decisive role in the collision and that the disaster could not be attributed solely to individual errors.
Additional objections concern defendants facing misdemeanor charges related to alleged breaches of duty. These include two members of a committee that evaluated the transfer application of the station master involved in the case, as well as a former railway organization president who approved the transfer after receiving the committee’s recommendation.
Charges Against 36 Defendants
A total of 36 individuals are standing trial, including executives and employees from railway organizations, the transport ministry, the train operating company and the national railway regulator.
Thirty-three of the defendants face felony charges related to dangerous interference with rail transport operations. Prosecutors allege that actions posing risks to railway safety contributed to a disaster that resulted in the deaths of a large number of people, serious injuries and significant damage to public infrastructure.
Thirty-five of the 36 defendants are also charged with multiple counts of negligent homicide, grievous bodily harm through negligence and bodily injury through negligence.
Three defendants additionally face misdemeanor charges for breach of duty.
