Former Greek deputy minister Christos Triantopoulos has been referred to trial before the Special Court over allegations of altering the site of the Tempi train crash in central Greece.
The ruling issued by the Judicial Council of the Special Court orders Triantopoulos, who served as deputy minister of climate crisis and civil protection, to face trial on misdemeanor charges of breach of duty.
Judicial council members accepted the formal recommendation submitted by Supreme Court Deputy Prosecutor Dimitris Mitroulias to send the former minister to the specialized tribunal for government officials.
According to the prosecutor's rationale, site works carried out following the collision included paving an access road with gravel and covering a section of ground with material before required forensic investigations were finished. The proposal noted that these actions altered the disaster scene without prior approval from competent judicial and investigative authorities.
Prosecutor Mitroulias attributed to Triantopoulos a failure to prevent these specific site modifications, stating that his official position imposed a legal duty to protect the scene of the rail disaster.
Four other public officials have been referred to the Special Court alongside Triantopoulos as accomplices in the alleged breach of duty. The co-defendants are former Thessaly Regional Governor Kostas Agorastos, former Secretary General for Civil Protection Vasilis Papageorgiou, former Larissa police director Agapios Charakopoulos, who served as chief officer responsible for the Hellenic Police at the scene, and Fire Service regional governor for Thessaly Evangelos Falaras.
Government response and election withdrawal
Responding to the judicial decision, Greek government sources stated that the administration absolutely respects the judiciary while emphasizing that the referral represents an intermediate procedural stage rather than a final verdict. Government sources stressed that the presumption of innocence fully applies to all defendants.
Government representatives added that Triantopoulos had requested from the outset to be judged by his natural judges, expressing confidence that the Special Court will provide definitive answers in the case.
Following the announcement, Triantopoulos declared that he will withdraw from the ruling New Democracy party candidate list in the constituency of Magnesia for the upcoming national elections.
Triantopoulos said he informed Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of his decision, explaining that preparing a comprehensive legal defense for the Special Court requires full attention and cannot be combined with a demanding electoral campaign.
The former minister clarified that he will complete his current term as a member of parliament and will continue to actively support New Democracy ahead of the national election effort.
Defense statement and parliamentary timeline
In a detailed statement published on social media, Triantopoulos expressed disagreement with the published findings of the Judicial Council ruling and said he will refute the evidence in court to prove his innocence.
He noted that the Judicial Council issued its decision 17 months after the Greek Parliament voted in April 2025 to submit the case to the justice system for evaluation.
Reflecting on his political career since entering parliament in 2019, Triantopoulos said he has maintained a consistent code of ethics and taken responsibility whenever required for the public interest. He described the atmosphere following the rail disaster as charged and toxic, arguing that conspiracy theories and political schemes aimed at targeting the government collapsed when scientific evidence was presented.
He added that after stepping down from his government office, he voluntarily requested that Parliament place him at the disposal of the judiciary, describing the step as an unprecedented choice in Greek political standards. He said he chose an institutional path within Parliament to avoid toxic political confrontation.
Regional constituency and judicial framework
Triantopoulos addressed voters in Magnesia, expressing gratitude to the 21,492 citizens who cast preference votes for him in the 2023 national elections, where he ranked first among parliamentary candidates in the district.
He stated that Magnesia had turned away from political inertia since 2019 and expressed hope that regional development projects initiated during his tenure will proceed. Looking ahead to the national elections scheduled for 2027, he voiced support for a New Democracy victory under Prime Minister Mitsotakis and noted that further details regarding the substance and handling of the case will be discussed in future proceedings.
Under Article 86 of the Constitution of Greece, the Special Court is an ad hoc tribunal convened to adjudicate criminal charges against current or former members of government, with judicial panels drawn from senior magistrates of the Supreme Court and the Council of State.
The legal proceedings stem from the February 2023 train collision near Tempi in central Greece, where a passenger service collided head on with a freight train, leaving 57 people dead and triggering nationwide inquiries into rail safety and disaster response procedures.
