Tempe case: Opposition demands felony charges for former officials over alleged cover-up
The party is pushing for additional criminal prosecution against the former Regional Governor of Thessaly, Kostas Agorastos, and two former government ministers, who they allege misappropriated funds from the Recovery Fund to conceal the scale of the disaster. The Tempe crash, which claimed 57 lives, including many young people, has sparked widespread outrage and calls for accountability.
“As SYRIZA has previously announced, we will be submitting a request for a preliminary investigation committee to look into the criminal involvement in the Tempe disaster, which has been deemed a misdemeanour by the Larissa Appeals Prosecutor,” Kokkalis stated. “Today, we requested that the charges be upgraded to felonies, as public funds were used to cover up the disaster. We also called for the lifting of telephone confidentiality for all those present at the scene immediately after the accident.”
Kokkalis argued that the misuse of Recovery Fund money to “patch over” the issue constitutes “criminal infidelity” and demanded further investigation into the matter.
Avlonitis echoed this sentiment, emphasising SYRIZA’s commitment to uncovering the truth. “We are conducting a thorough investigation, page by page, word by word. We are determined—this is the commitment of our party’s president—to see this case through to the end. Today, we have requested that the charges be upgraded to felonies and that the investigation include former ministers Mr. Tsakiris and Mr. Papathanasis, who authorised the payment of €642,000 to companies involved in clearing the wreckage.”
Avlonitis also highlighted the importance of this investigation for the families of the victims, particularly the parents who lost their children in the crash. “We owe it to their memory, as parliamentarians and as a party, to do everything in our power to ensure the truth comes to light,” he concluded.
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