Maurizio Capotorto, the former CEO of Hellenic Train, has been called to testify as a suspect for false testimony before the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee, which was convened following the Tempe disaster. The summons follows an order from the Athens Court of Appeal Prosecutor to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Court of First Instance.

According to News247, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Court of First Instance is conducting a preliminary investigation, which has now reached the stage of summoning suspects. As part of this process, Capotorto has been summoned to submit a written explanation regarding the alleged offense of false testimony before a magistrate, as instructed by the Athens Court of Appeal Prosecutor.

It is worth noting that in his original testimony Capotorto not only failed to apologize for the accident but also placed full responsibility on the stationmaster. In response to SYRIZA MP Haris Mamoulakis, he claimed that Hellenic Train bares no responsibility for the tragedy, despite repeated warnings from railway workers’ unions about the risk of a serious accident.

Exactly one year ago, on Tuesday, 30 January, 2024, the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee unanimously decided to forward Capotorto’s testimony to the Court of Appeal Prosecutor for false testimony, following a recommendation by SYRIZA rapporteur Vasilis Kokkalis. New Democracy rapporteur Lazaros Tsavdaridis described Capotorto’s testimony as “outrageous, offensive, and disrespectful to the victims of the tragedy and the Greek Parliament,” adding that “he appeared before the committee only to mislead us. He did not answer a single question and only blamed the stationmaster. His testimony was an infuriating denial of Hellenic Train’s responsibility.”

It should be noted that Capotorto did not sign his testimony before the inquiry committee, citing concerns over the quality of the interpretation provided during the session.

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