Inspector Nikolaos Dimitriou was put on holiday by decision of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, who was also the one who placed the 59-year-old station master in the critical position on the fateful night of the tragedy in Tempi. However, he claims that that night he had not only placed the 59-year-old at the Larissa station but still two stationmasters.

According to the SKAI report in the main news bulletin, the inspector himself in a statement he voluntarily gave to the investigator Larissas claimed that on that fateful night of the collision he himself had placed not only the 59-year-old station master who was inexperienced in the specific post but a total of three station masters at the Larissa station office. However, as he mentioned, the two left without asking his permission as a result, the 59-year-old station master, who is facing serious charges, is left alone.

“I am asking to testify about the accident. We had heaps of mistakes a few hours before the head-on collision of the two trains which, if they had been foreseen, we would not be talking about a national tragedy today. I had put 3 stationmasters on the fateful night. But one left before the end of his shift” said the inspector.

Also, according to the report, he claims that he never officially received from the Organization he serves that he went on holiday and emphasizes that there is no legal basis for him to be removed from the Organization. Finally, the inspector claims that he had every right to place him in that particular position as he says the 59-year-old had received work certification, so he could enter the shift normally.