Tempi: Lawsuit against Kostas Karamanlis by victim's father

The father of 26-year-old Dimitris Aslanidis, who died tragically in the horrific Tembi train accident, will file a complaint and a lawsuit against former Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Kostas Karamanlisin Tembi.

As his attorney, Andreas Theodoropoulos, stated in an interview with Mega, «Mr. Aslanidis, the father of a victim of the accident, instructed me to file a complaint and then a lawsuit against Kostas Karamanlis, the former Minister of Transportation, who, prior to the accident, had guaranteed that rail transportation was safe for the Greek people. We will also file a criminal complaint against all those responsible.».

As Andreas Theodoropoulos said, «We will take legal action and seek criminal liability for this horrific accident, whether it involves politicians, OSE officials, or even the Italian company responsible for its management.».

It should be noted that Kostas Karamanlis, who had resigned, on February 20—eight days before the train tragedy— had appeared particularly offended and annoyed when responding to a question in Parliament regarding the safety of the railway network.

At that time, among other things, he had said: «It’s a disgrace, and I’m ashamed that you’re raising security issues. I’d like you to retract that immediately. It’s a disgrace. I explained this to you before, and I’ll say it again. We are ensuring security. You are uninformed—unfortunately, like many of your colleagues. You have misunderstood the situation.».

Dimitris Aslanidis, 26, as his father had reported, had gone to Athens to ask his girlfriend, Kalliopi, to marry him, and was returning home on the train that would prove fatal for him.

Request by relatives for a new DNA test

Mr. Theodoropoulos spoke about the request by the victims’ parents for a new DNA test to be conducted, and also mentioned a government directive to the victims’ families not to open the coffins—something that, at least until now, had been considered more of a recommendation than a mandatory requirement.

«Some of the victims have been identified, but others are awaiting identification by a forensic expert and DNA testing, so that we can have a definitive scientific conclusion that these are indeed their children, the individuals who have been identified as victims,» he said initially.

«My clients have doubts as to whether and to what extent the government’s decision not to open the coffins is valid, and whether the remains that have been sent to the relatives are indeed those of their children. The investigating judge has granted the request of some relatives, and we are awaiting the court order. »Since no funerals have been held to verify through DNA testing whether these are the victims, we are awaiting the results,” she added.

According to Mr. Theodoropoulos, there are families who have not held funerals and are waiting for the DNA test results to confirm once again whether the bodies placed in the coffins given to them are indeed their children.

At the same time, confusion has arisen over the government’s directive not to open the coffins, as it is unclear whether this is merely a recommendation or a mandatory requirement.

Mr. Theodoropoulos pointed out that, «There is an order prohibiting the relatives from opening the coffins. We are requesting that a new DNA test be conducted to determine whether these are their children. The parents» request is that the coffins not be opened. We turned to the investigating judge to try to get the DNA test conducted. That is what the parents told me. This shouldn’t be mandatory because every relative has the right to see what remains of their loved one. Among those I represent, at least five funerals have not yet taken place. All the victims have been identified; two families are requesting DNA tests so that the process can be completed and they can proceed with the funeral today? “It is expected that the investigating judge’s decision will be revised and a special appellate judge will be appointed to conduct an inquiry, through which we, the defense attorneys, will receive more detailed information.”.

«We have already filed a motion on behalf of the plaintiffs» family members, and we are waiting for the special appellate judge so that we can appoint our own expert witnesses. In addition to those appointed by the state, we also have the option to appoint our own,” he added.