By Yannis Anifantis

About the pathologies of the Greek railway that he was asked to deal with during his term at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (2013 – 2015) he spoke Michalis Chrysochoidis, testifying to the commission of inquiry into the train accident in Tempe.

“It wasn’t just the staff, the condition of the network was very bad, there was a maintenance issue,” argued the current Minister of Citizen Protection, among other things, stressing that “OSE had neither the staff nor the funding” to carry out the maintenance of the network.

“The network was essentially destroyed,” said Mr. Chrysochoidis, adding that the signaling systems installed in sections became “the object of sabotage and theft.”

Asked by the opposition MPs about the causes of the accident in Tempi, Michalis Chrysochoidis said that he is not in a position to know, stressing that he cannot give an opinion “even on issues that are currently being investigated by the Justice Department”. “Even with complete systems, accidents have occurred, the issue is multifactorial,” added the former Minister of Transport, among other things, speaking of the remote control system.

Markopoulos for a “crooked” committee: “I apologize”

Today’s meeting began with the chairman of the Investigative Committee, Dimitris Markopoulos, taking the floor, describing as “incorrect” his statement yesterday about a “gourlid” committee, due to the ministerial appointment of ND MPs Andreas Nikolakopoulos and Ioanna Lytrivi, who until recently were members her. “I apologize, without any other words, without excuses”, the blue MP emphasized, among other things, with him admitting his mistake and with his post on social media last night.

The report of Dimitris Markopoulos provoked a fierce reaction from the opposition, with the SYRIZA-PS rapporteur, Vassilis Kokkalis, speaking of “insult”, denouncing the examination as a tool, since, as he argued, the status of a member of the committee was linked to the ministership. The MP of the New Left, Peti Perkas, requested the removal of Dimitris Markopoulos from the committee.