Tempi Trial: Defense Seeks Delay Citing EU Probe Over Signaling Contract

The trial stemming from the tragic train crash at Tempi is entering a critical phase as defense lawyers finalize their arguments, primarily centered on a request to postpone proceedings. This move hinges on a separate investigation by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) into a signaling system contract, which defense attorneys argue creates a potential conflict and necessitates a delay.

Following the defense's statements, the prosecutor for the Larissa Court of Appeals will address the defense's motions. These include calls for a trial adjournment, challenges to the indictment's validity, and requests to refer preliminary questions to the European Union's court to potentially separate the legal cases. The defense's primary argument for postponement cites Article 59 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows for a trial to be suspended if its outcome depends on another pending legal case.

The specific defense team advocating for this delay represents ERGOSE executives, who are also defendants in the EPPO's investigation. The EPPO is examining the implementation of contract 717, which involved upgrading the signaling and remote control systems on a key rail axis. This contract was co-financed by the EU, and the EPPO's investigation began before the Tempi disaster.

In the Tempi case itself, 16 ERGOSE executives face felony charges for disrupting transport safety, stemming from alleged omissions related to contract 717 and its extensions. The defense contends that the charges from the EPPO and the Tempi case are "identical." They warn that if the defendants are prosecuted by the EPPO, it could lead to two parallel trials in Athens and Larissa concerning the same factual circumstances, witnesses, and experts.

In total, 36 current and former officials from various Greek railway organizations, including OSE, ERGOSE, Hellenic Train, RAS, and the Ministry of Transport, are accused in connection with the Tempi disaster. Thirty-three of them are charged with dangerous interference with transport, involving actions that created a common risk to property and human life.