The court adjourned the proceedings until tomorrow so the newly appointed lawyers could study the case file, while concerns remain over the pace of the trial and potential delays.
The session began with the appointment of the three lawyers to the defendant, who had informed the court during the previous hearing that, due to financial difficulties, he could no longer continue working with his previous lawyer and requested that counsel be appointed for him by the state.
The presiding judge appointed three lawyers, saying the decision had been made in order to ‘speed up the process’. After the defendant accepted the appointment, the new lawyers said they were ready to take on his defence once they had obtained full knowledge of the case file.
The court then decided to adjourn the trial until tomorrow, giving the defence lawyers the necessary time to study the case material. During the session, concerns were raised about the course of the trial and the length of the adjournments, with the presiding judge stressing that ‘the court is the one that does not want procedural defects, but does not want delays either’.
The statements by lawyers supporting the prosecution and by the defence on the prosecutor’s proposal have yet to be completed. The proposal concerns a series of requests, including upgrading the charges and calling new witnesses.
The prosecutor reserved the right to rule on the possibility of changing the charge from homicide through negligence to homicide with possible intent, as well as on the prosecution of two Hellenic Train executives for the offences of exposure to danger, explosion and disruption of transport safety. To date, the two executives have only been prosecuted for misdemeanours.
The prosecutor clarified that any new prosecutions would be considered after the completion of the evidentiary process, as it is not possible to bring charges for acts over which the defendants had not been called to answer during the main investigation.
The prosecutor also reserved the right to decide on the summoning of new witnesses and the submission of additional documents after the start of the evidentiary proceedings. At the same time, she recommended rejecting requests concerning the completion of the investigation, the annulment of the summons and the withdrawal of the case under article 324 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
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