Former deputy minister Christos Triantopoulos has been referred to trial for misdemeanor breach of duty over his handling of the fatal Tempi crash site.
The ruling by the Judicial Council enters the investigation into a new phase and prompted an immediate response from the government, with spokesman Pavlos Marinakis issuing an extraordinary announcement.
Government defense of former minister
Marinakis said the government maintained absolute trust in Greek justice, contrasting its stance with statements made by opposition parties. He stated that the ruling represented an intermediate stage prior to a final judicial decision and emphasized that Triantopoulos retains the presumption of innocence until then.
The spokesman noted that Triantopoulos had requested from the first moment to be judged by regular courts. He called it infuriating that opposition parties, led by PASOK, were now claiming vindication after previously denouncing the former deputy minister for taking that decision.
Marinakis argued that opposition parties had failed to learn from past instances. He pointed to a previous case involving lawmakers from the ruling New Democracy party and OPEKEPE, Greece's agricultural payment control agency, where opposition figures hastily labeled MPs as suspects before they were vindicated weeks later.
Opposition claims questioned
According to the government spokesman, if the opposition claims had been correct when Triantopoulos asked to be judged by regular courts, the Judicial Council would have returned the case file to the Hellenic Parliament to request an upgraded or modified indictment.
Marinakis accused political opponents of trying to make a dangerous political offset. He asserted that the omissions for which Triantopoulos faces trial bear no relation to allegations spread a year and a half ago in an effort to politically exploit a tragic accident.
He specified that those earlier claims included assertions about missing train carriages and backfilling at the crash site to conceal an illegal cargo containing xylene. Marinakis questioned what connection those falsehoods had with the latest judicial ruling, warning that commentators acting as television judges have caused serious harm to the country and urging the public to let justice take its course.
Legal and political context
Christos Triantopoulos is a Greek politician who served as a deputy minister under the governing New Democracy administration. The charges against him stem from executive actions taken following the fatal collision between trains in the Tempi valley region of central Greece.
Under Greek criminal law, breach of duty is classified as a misdemeanor involving allegations that a public official violated official obligations or misused administrative authority. In Greek judicial procedure, a Judicial Council reviews case files involving public figures to decide whether to send a case to trial or refer it back to the legislature.
PASOK, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, is a major opposition party in the Hellenic Parliament. OPEKEPE is the state body responsible for managing and distributing agricultural subsidies in Greece.
