Tempi Trial Resumes After August Recess as Evidence Phase Nears

The Tempi railway disaster trial has resumed at the University of Thessaly's conference center in the Gaiopolis complex after the August interruption. The next procedural stage is expected to begin with presentations of the defense claims.

At the last hearing on July 28, the prosecutor of the Larissa Three-Member Court of Appeals for Felonies read the charges against all 36 defendants. Some defense lawyers had already presented parts of their arguments before the charges were read, which is expected to shorten this stage of the proceedings.

The defendants include current and former senior officials and employees of Greek railway organizations and institutions who served between 2016 and 2023. They are linked to the Hellenic Railways Organisation, ERGOSE, the Regulatory Authority for Railways, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, and Hellenic Train.

The presiding judge said the witness list would be announced after the defense presentations. The evidentiary process will then begin with testimony from the family of the passenger-train driver, one of the 57 victims.

The proceedings began on March 23 and continued for five months before the July 28 recess. The courtroom was expanded after complaints from lawyers and victims' relatives about the initial conditions. Its area grew from 283.75 square meters to 452.01 square meters, with additional benches and seats. The court rejected participation applications from bar associations and the drivers' union, while accepting the Greek state as supporting the prosecution. Victims' relatives and survivors also remain involved. Relatives and their lawyers objected that the state was pursuing only three stationmasters and one supervisor, leaving other defendants connected to gaps in the safety systems outside its case.