The tragedy, which occurred in February 2023 and claimed the lives of 57 people, remains one of the most traumatic events in recent Greek memory.
The Greek parliamentary committee investigating former minister Christos Triantopoulos over his alleged role in the aftermath of the deadly Tempi train disaster has come to a sudden halt- just two sessions in.
The tragedy, which occurred in February 2023 and claimed the lives of 57 people, remains one of the most traumatic events in recent Greek memory. But rather than allowing the inquiry to run its full course, the government's parliamentary majority opted on Friday morning to shut it down and hand the case over to a Judicial Council. It will now be up to this council to decide whether Triantopoulos should face trial before the Special Court.
This move effectively bypasses a full parliamentary inquiry, a choice that has triggered significant backlashfrom opposition parties. The issue at hand involves allegations that Triantopoulos was involved in a cover-up related to the controversial burial and tampering of debris at the site of a tragic train crash in Tempi in March 2023, while he served as Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister.
In lieu of appearing before the committee, Triantopoulossubmitted a brief, one-page memorandum totaling just 140 words. In it, he categorically denied any wrongdoing, stating that he neither committed a criminal nor unlawful act during his tenure. He further requested that the case be handed over to Greece's regular judiciary, expressing confidence in being judged by the "natural judges" of the Greek court system.
The move to shut down the inquiry sparked strong reactions in Parliament. SYRIZA, the main opposition party, walked out of the proceedings after their request to summon witnesses was rejected. They later clarified that the walkout was limited to the session in which the memo was read, not from the committee in general. Other opposition parties, including the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), the left-wing New Left, and the conservative NIKI party, also staged walkouts, condemning what they called a constitutional violation and a blatant attempt at a government-orchestrated cover-up.
PASOK, another key opposition party, criticized Triantopoulos's written statement as an act of "cynicism and cowardice." The party argued that if the government truly believes in Triantopoulos's innocence, then referring him for possible prosecution constitutes a serious abuse of power. They emphasized that Parliament has a constitutional duty to fully investigate the matter and warned that bypassing the process undermines institutional integrity.
SYRIZA went further, accusing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the ruling New Democracy party of "silencing the truth" by prematurely ending the committee's work. They argued that the inquiry was cut short to prevent testimony from key witnesses and experts, thereby shielding the Prime Minister from having to answer for the mishandling of the Tempi site. The party described the shutdown as a flagrant violation of the Constitution, parliamentary rules, and the law governing ministerial responsibility.
They warned that this procedural shortcut could even nullify the entire pre-trial process, as the committee failed to carry out its duty to examine evidence and issue a substantiated report before making a recommendation to Parliament. SYRIZA reaffirmed its stance that the inquiry must continue and called for a full witness list to be heard, along with access to the complete case file from the Larissa prosecutor—something they claim the government majority is actively blocking.
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