Greece is preparing to establish a Special Court to hear a case involving the alteration of the site of the deadly Tempi train crash, with the first formal step expected next week.
Unless unforeseen circumstances intervene, Parliament will hold a public lottery on Friday, October 30, to select the court’s members. The proceedings will be chaired by Parliament Speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis and will determine the composition of the first Special Court involving officials from a government led by the center-right New Democracy party.
The court will comprise 13 regular judges and six alternates, along with a prosecutor and a deputy prosecutor. Former Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Christos Triantopoulos and four other defendants have been referred to stand trial.
The Speaker of Parliament has moved ahead with the necessary procedures, and a list of senior judges from Greece’s Supreme Court and Council of State has been submitted for the selection process.
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Trial expected to begin before the end of 2026
Estimates suggest the trial will begin before the end of the year and last more than eight months. Developments could therefore emerge as early as December, with the proceedings likely to continue into the next election period.
The case concerns what has become known in Greece as the “cover-up” or “backfilling” of the Tempi crash site, referring to the alleged alteration of the location where the disaster occurred.
At the political level, Triantopoulos has announced that he will not seek reelection in the Magnesia electoral district, following communication with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The decision has been viewed within New Democracy as easing some of the political pressure surrounding the case.
A separate judicial investigation involving former Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis is also expected to produce further developments. Karamanlis has likewise decided not to run again in the Serres electoral district.
Five defendants face charges of breach of duty
A 203-page ruling by the Judicial Council attributes serious responsibility to five defendants for the misdemeanor of breach of duty.
Besides, Triantopoulos, also facing trial are Kostas Agorastos, the former governor of Thessaly; Vassilis Papageorgiou, a former secretary general for civil protection; Agapios Charakopoulos, who headed the police operation at the crash site; and Evangelos Falaras, who was in charge of the Fire Service there.
According to the senior judges, the unlawful alteration of the crash site harmed both the administration of justice and the victims. The latter finding has implications for the participation of dozens of victims’ relatives in supporting the prosecution.
The Tempi train crash killed 57 people. The forthcoming proceedings will examine the alleged conduct surrounding the handling of the site in the aftermath of the disaster.