The Greek State announced that it will appear in the trial over the Tempi rail disaster in order to support the prosecution against 4 of the 36 defendants in total. These are the stationmaster on the night shift at the Larissa Railway Station, two of his colleagues from the afternoon shift, and the then head of the Larissa Inspection Department of the railway traffic service.
According to what was presented in court, the State considers these four individuals to be the “core group directly responsible” in the case. In other words, it attributes the most immediate responsibility for the tragedy to them — a position widely interpreted as adopting the “human error” narrative, namely the view that the disaster was caused primarily by the actions or omissions of specific individuals.
The State may request to participate in a trial if the relevant ministry determines that it has a legal interest in doing so, for example if the State itself suffered damage.
A representative of the State Legal Council (effectively the government’s lawyers) argued that the Greek State has a legitimate legal interest in supporting the prosecution because of the acts and omissions of the specific defendants. According to this position, the tragedy caused moral harm to the State, undermined public trust in state institutions, and led to financial damage directly connected to the events under examination.
At the same time, the proceedings continue amid ongoing complaints from victims’ relatives regarding the condition of the courtroom. Today’s session, attended by six defendants, was adjourned shortly after noon and scheduled to resume tomorrow, while another interruption of more than 30 days is expected afterward in order to renovate the courtroom.
Sources: Κathimerini, Εfimerida ton Sintakton
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