By Yannis Anifantis

In the “collapse of the OSE” regarding shortages in the organization’s staff the former Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks said in his testimony to the parliamentary inquiry committee on Tempe, Mr. H. Spirtzisarguing that during his days he made efforts to strengthen it with transfers. He even underlined that “there is no age limit in the transfer law” and for this reason, some of the employees who were transferred were over 50 years old.

Regarding with the 717 convention and the extensions that were given, he argued that it was not his jurisdiction, noting that if he did something like that it would constitute a breach of duty. However, he noted that “extensions are not always to the benefit of the contractor. Too many times, most of the time, it is in favor of the State”. Circles of the governing majoritycommented decisively that “the explanations given by X. Spirtzis regarding the percentage of completion of contract 717 that he handed over at the end of his term, they were inadequate to say the least. The former Minister argued once more that he delivered the project 72% complete. Asked about the fact that only 17 stations out of a total of 52 had been delivered and no remote control center, so the reported percentage cannot correspond to 72%, Mr. Spirtzis said that the measurement is not made with stations, but with a percentage of the project that has be paid”.

Answering questions of the SYRIZA MP, Dionysis Kalamatianou, Mr. Spirtzis argued that “the least one can do, for there to be light and justice, is everything”, with him stressing that he has nothing to fear. Whether emotionally or politically, he said, everyone should help. To the question of the MP of PASOK, Milena Apostolaki, as to whether he adopts the narrative of human error, Mr. Spirtzis answered in the negative, stressing that there are fundamental differences, underlining how “justice will see the responsibilities for the crime”.

Earlier, however, at the start of the commission’s work, the request of the relatives of the victims to stop the investigation until the completion of the interrogation by the regular judiciary was rejected.