The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Athens has filed additional criminal charges against 16 individuals—including 13 Greek public officials—in connection with a major railway infrastructure contract that has come under intense scrutiny following the 2023 Tempi train disaster.
The charges relate to Contract 717, a project intended to restore remote control and signaling systems across Greece’s railway network. The contract, co-financed by the European Union, was designed to improve safety on key rail routes, including the Athens–Thessaloniki corridor. This line includes the stretch near Tempi, the site of the country’s deadliest train crash on February 28, 2023, in which 57 people were killed.
According to the EPPO, the investigation focuses on allegations that members of a construction consortium, along with public officials from ERGOSE—the Greek state company responsible for railway projects—embezzled EU and state funds during the execution of the contract. Of the 16 now charged, nine had already faced other charges as part of the ongoing inquiry, while seven others are being prosecuted for the first time. The accused include both members of the consortium and officials from the awarding authority.
Authorities allege that between 2019 and 2020, the consortium requested compensation for supposed damages and operational delays, citing machinery downtime. However, the investigation suggests the project delays were due to the consortium’s own failures to deliver, and that the request for damages was unjustified. Despite this, a €2.7 million payout was approved by the then-Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, following a favorable recommendation by public officials.
Prosecutors now claim that this financial compensation was part of a broader scheme to misappropriate public funds. The charges include complicity in embezzlement and moral instigation to repeated embezzlement, targeting the financial interests of both Greece and the European Union.
If convicted, the defendants could face prison sentences of up to 10 years, along with substantial fines. The case has been transferred to a special investigative judge assigned to EPPO cases, as judicial proceedings continue.
