The Greek Parliament has voted to refer former Deputy Minister to the PM, Christos Triantopoulos, to the judicial council for potential prosecution over alleged misconduct in public office. The motion passed with 190 votes in favour out of 200 participating MPs, with support from the ruling New Democracy party and PASOK. The Course of Freedom party voted against. The vote came after a dramatic and tense parliamentary session, marked by walkouts and accusations of constitutional violations.

As a reminder, former Deputy Minister is accused by the association of Tempe victims’ families and the opposition of being involved in the alleged cover-up of the crime scene at Tempe. Triantopoulos had requested an immediate referral to the Judicial Council, bypassing the inquiry committee of the Parliament so that it can decide whether he should stand trial before a special court.

A total of 200 MPs took part in the secret ballot, while 100 lawmakers abstained, including those from SYRIZA, the Greek Communist Party (KKE), Greek Solution, New Left, Niki, Spartans, and several independents. These parties chose not to legitimise the process with their presence or votes.

Those backing the referral included not only New Democracy (ND) and PASOK but also several independent MPs, including former ND members and one former Spartan MP. The Course of Freedom party, which remained in the chamber, firmly opposed the motion, with its leader Zoe Konstantopoulou calling the entire process invalid.

What’s Next?

Following the vote, the next step is the selection of members for the judicial council, which will review whether the case merits a formal trial. This selection will occur in a public session of Parliament after the Easter break. The Speaker of the Parliament will draw five regular and five alternate members to form the Council.

Tensions boil over in Parliament

The debate leading up to the vote was heated, stretching over nine hours. SYRIZA party leader Socrates Famellos described the proceedings as a “new coup from the Speaker’s chair,” claiming the process was unconstitutional and should have been returned to the preliminary committee for further investigation.

Famellos argued that Parliament had skipped key legal steps, claiming the majority refused to conduct a thorough investigation or hear from witnesses. He accused the government of bypassing justice and transparency, saying this was a direct violation of the Constitution and the rules of Parliament.

He warned MPs that their actions would be judged harshly, saying: “Today you decide whether you’ll sign off on a dark chapter – an abuse of justice and truth, orchestrated by the ruling party and the PM himself.”

Government fires back

Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis pushed back, accusing the opposition of hypocrisy. He argued that opposition parties had ignored the extensive evidence file provided and were now attempting to paint the process as illegitimate for political gain.

“You can’t escape the truth,” Floridis said. “What the public will see is that, for over a year, your only aim was to cover it up.”

PASOK’s reaction

PASOK-KINAL leader Nikos Androulakis criticised the government, accusing it of undermining democracy and playing games with institutions and public trust. “You’re toying with the intelligence of an entire nation,” he said.

PASOK’s parliamentary representative, Dimitris Mantzos, highlighted his party’s role in initiating the investigation and slammed the ruling party for what he described as an unconstitutional shortcut. “Justice now has a tougher job because Parliament didn’t follow the process set out in the Constitution,” he stated.

Zoe Konstantopoulou: “The process is Invalid”

Course of Freedom leader Zoe Konstantopoulou also condemned the handling of the case, claiming the process lacked legal foundation. “There wasn’t even a formal decision by the Conference of Parliamentary Presidents to schedule this debate,” she said.

She accused the government of rushing to “whitewash” Triantopoulos’ responsibilities and criticised the preliminary committee’s abrupt closure without properly reviewing evidence or calling witnesses.

“This is a serious breach of the Constitution and criminal law,” she declared, calling it a clear case of abuse of power and parliamentary overreach.

ND’s Plevris responds: “The masks are off”

In defence of the government, New Democracy MP Thanos Plevris accused the opposition of using the case for narrow political advantage, stating that their true intentions had now been exposed.

Communist Party of Greece (KKE): “The government agreed to form the preliminary committee under pressure, knowing how it would shut it down”

KKE parliamentary representative Thanasis Pafilis stated:

“We had submitted detailed proposals for witness summonses, including Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The government ignored all of them. In our view, this proves there was pre-planned maneuvering. The government, frightened by the massive popular mobilisations, made a tactical retreat and agreed to form the committee, while already knowing how it would wrap it up and shut it down.”

“We believe the case must return to the Preliminary Investigation Committee, where witnesses should be called, however long it takes, to investigate the true causes of the crash.”

New Left: “We denounce manipulation and concealment”

New Left’s parliamentary representative Theopisti Perka announced that her party was also withdrawing from the vote.

“New Left will remain in the debate to expose the responsibilities of the government and the ruling New Democracy MPs, whom we accuse of orchestrating manipulations and continuing the cover-up of the Tempe crime.”

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