Among other charges, five executives are accused of negligent homicide and disturbance of security in public transport in the case of the accident that left 57 people dead on February 28. If found guilty, the penalties that the law attributes to these cases are between 10 years and life imprisonment, although one particular aspect can reduce the sentences.
First modification:
“negligent homicide.” This is the position that falls on five former directors of the state company Railways of Greece. The accusations occurred in the context of the investigations carried out by the accident that occurred in the Hellenic nation in which 57 people died on February 28.
Two former general directors of the company, two former heads of road safety departments and a section coordinator were the ones indicated, who are also attributed the alleged disturbance of safety in public transport. The Larisa Prosecutor’s Office, the site where the tragedy took place, was in charge of carrying out the process.
In case of being found guilty, the penalties can be between 10 years and life imprisonment, although, in this particular, the accusations adhere to the condition of own omission, an attribution that is imposed for breach of duties and not the development of the actively committing crime, which can reduce their sentences.
Operating without meeting the requirements
Three of the defendants endorsed the granting of the post of station manager to the manager of the Larisa terminal. The latter recognized that the requirements for the work he performed were not met.
The principal of the stop also confessed before the law to having put a passenger train and a cargo convoy on the same line, which caused the collision.
Among the requirements that were not met to grant the position was not to be over 48 years old, a number 11 times less than the age of the accused. Larisa was a nerve center in the railway network of the European nation, so a person with the required skills was needed to be able to skillfully manage the daily work.
Currently, the defendant is in pretrial detention.
Discontent and elections
The Larisa railway tragedy is the biggest accident of its kind in the history of Greece. Even the Government recognized that the path of the mishap did not have the relevant security systems for its transit.
With posters accusing those responsible of being “murderers”, hundreds of people mobilized in Greece a few days after the accident in the country’s capital and in Larissa. In front of Parliament, another group blocked the access streets at the time to observe a minute of silence for the victims.
Hundreds more carried white balloons, while the names of the victims were written on the ground.
“Call me when you arrive” was one of the slogans of the protest campaign, visualizing the last written conversation that many relatives had with their relatives killed in the act. Most of the people traveling on the passenger train were students.
It was believed that the widespread discontent was going to be reflected in the polls, an appointment that the Greeks had weeks after the accident. However, the current Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was the most voted above opposition proposals such as that of the leftist Syriza, led by Alexis Tsipras, but it did not reach the necessary seats in Parliament to be able to govern without coalitions.
with EFE
