PASOK to Pursue Felony Charges Against Ex-Minister in Tempi Tragedy
The disaster, one of the worst in recent Greek history, sparked public outrage and intense political scrutiny.
Now, as the two years anniversary of the tragedy has passed, efforts are accelerating to assign political and possibly criminal responsibility.
The center-left PASOK party is expected to be the first to submit a formal proposal to establish a parliamentary inquiry committee. The motion is likely to be filed early next week and, according to party leader Nikos Androulakis, will include felony-level accusations.
Sources within PASOK say the draft of the proposal was nearly complete by the end of this week and will seek criminal prosecution based on the offense of endangering transport safety.
There remains internal debate, however, over whether to include former SYRIZA minister Christos Spirtzis in the motion. Legally, prosecution against Spirtzis may be barred due to the statute of limitations, but PASOK may still mention him in the proposal to underscore political responsibility.
Confident in its numbers—more than the required 30 MPs needed to move the process forward—PASOK has signaled it will act unilaterally, without compromising the content of the proposal to attract broader support.
Greece’s ruling center-right New Democracy party is taking a more cautious approach. Government officials say they are waiting to examine the content and legal reasoning behind the opposition’s proposals before taking a position.
If, as expected, opposition parties press for felony charges, New Democracy is likely to submit its own counter-proposal, one that frames the case as a misdemeanor—potentially citing breach of duty. The party appears inclined to replicate the procedure it followed in the recent case of Deputy Minister Christos Triantopoulos, whose case was swiftly referred to the Judicial Council.
SYRIZA, the leftish opposition party, has also announced plans to file a separate proposal for a parliamentary investigation. It is expected to name both Karamanlis and Spirtzis and to focus on alleged criminal negligence over a longer time frame, including the period when SYRIZA itself was in power.
SYRIZA’s parliamentary leader, Sokratis Famellos, emphasized that the proposal will be comprehensive, making no attempt to offset or relativize blame, even if it includes members of the party's own past administration. With only 26 MPs, SYRIZA is actively seeking support from smaller parties and independent lawmakers in order to meet the 30-signature threshold required to submit the motion.
The left-wing New Left party is reviewing the case file before deciding whether to back the proposal, while former Speaker of Parliament Zoe Konstantopoulou’s Freedom Sailing party has failed to rally other opposition parties around a single joint initiative.
Meanwhile, the case of Christos Triantopoulos continues to move through parliamentary channels. On Monday, the Greek Parliament will hold a special session to elect five regular and three alternate members of the Judicial Council, along with the presiding prosecutor and their deputy, to handle that case.
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