The prosecutor of the Supreme Court, Georgia Adeilini, has intervened in the ongoing political controversy surrounding the death of 39-year-old Vasilis Kalogirou, son of Sofia Apostolaki, head of the Larissa Appeals Prosecutor’s Office.

Apostolaki had been overseeing aspects of the investigation into the deadly Tempe rail crash, but she took an extended medical leave of absence, which led to widespread speculation about a possible connection between her prosecutorial duties and her son’s disappearance. Her son was reported missing in late 2024 and on February 17 he was found dead, raising questions in the public sphere and prompting heated political debate.

SYRIZA president Socrates Famellos questioned the case in Parliament, stating: “Why is the victim’s mother referring today to those responsible for her son’s death? Why had Ms Adeilini ruled out any connection with her duties? What connection could there be with the mandate she received to investigate complaints from lawyers and victims regarding the Tempe disaster?” Famellos clarified that he was only asking questions, adding: “I am not like the Prime Minister, who wants to be the investigator, prosecutor, and judge.”

Government officials condemned the remarks, with Minister of State Makis Voridis describing them as “vile rhetoric” and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accusing the opposition of “vulgar toxicity.”

In her statement, Adeilini stressed that shortly after her son’s disappearance, Apostolaki expressed her distress over media reports linking the incident to her professional duties.

Her statement read:

“In a recent statement by a political leader, echoing anonymous online commentators, it was said in Parliament that: ‘Greek society is shocked and demands answers after the revelation of the death of the son of the head of the Larissa Appeals Prosecutor’s Office.’

The politician then posed a direct question to the Supreme Court Prosecutor’s Office: ‘Why had Ms Adeilini ruled out any connection between the disappearance of the son of the Larissa Appeals Prosecutor and her duties?’

Following this, I must publicly state that Ms Sofia Apostolaki, Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Larissa, contacted us a few days after her son’s disappearance to express her sadness and dissatisfaction with reports linking the incident to her prosecutorial responsibilities. Ms Apostolaki conveyed the same concerns to the Association of Greek Prosecutors.

This prompted statements in early January from both the Supreme Court Prosecutor’s Office and the Association of Greek Prosecutors, aimed at separating the tragic personal incident from any form of public exploitation.

Also relevant is a statement from investigator G. Tsoukalis, who worked with Kalogirou’s family. Published by tovima.gr on 25 January 2025 in an article titled ‘Larissa: Anxiety for 39-year-old Vasilis – Is the case connected to Tempe?’ he stated: ‘Although the mother’s profession has led to speculation about the disappearance, as she was handling the Tempe case, I must say that both the family and I rule out any connection. It is not something that concerns us…’

In any case, all possible causes of Vasilis Kalogirou’s death are being thoroughly investigated.”

The statement was signed:

Georgia Adeilini
Prosecutor of the Supreme Court

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