The government’s response to PASOK’s stance regarding the Tempi tragedy has escalated. From the Maximou Mansion, sources are launching a direct attack, urging PASOK to stop instrumentalizing the tragedy and to provide clear answers to several key questions.

According to government sources, instead of continuing with what they consider to be hypocritical half-truths, PASOK should answer the following:

1. Why did PASOK not vote in favor of establishing the National Railway and Air Accident Investigation and Transport Safety Agency (EODASAM), and why did they vote against increasing the agency’s staff to strengthen its effectiveness?
2. Why did PASOK adopt with unprecedented speed a publication regarding a supposed request by former interim OSE president Mr. Grammatidis to shut down the railways for “safety reasons,” when Mr. Grammatidis himself denied raising any safety issues, clarifying that his suggestion was aimed at speeding up the completion of repairs to the network impacted by “Daniel”?
3. Why has PASOK remained silent after the NTF’s report showed that there was no tampering with the recordings in Justice’s hands?

The government insists PASOK should stop trying to manipulate the Tempi tragedy for political gain and provide concrete answers. Deputy Minister and Government Spokesman, Pavlos Marinakis, had raised clear questions that PASOK failed to address, according to the sources.

PASOK’s Response

Shortly after the government’s accusations, PASOK’s press office issued a response, stating that government sources should coordinate with Marinakis to avoid contradictions. PASOK spokesperson Kostas Tsoukalas further criticized the government’s strategy, arguing that government spokespeople should stop hiding behind anonymous sources and be more transparent with the public, making clear who is responsible for the misinformation and cover-ups.

Regarding the government’s claims of PASOK’s hypocrisy, Tsoukalas emphasized that the party voted “present” in Parliament on the establishment of EODASAM, advocating for the independence of such agencies and criticizing the government for the six-month delay in staffing the agency after the tragedy.

PASOK also challenged the government’s narrative regarding the doctored audio. The party stated that it was misleading for the government to claim there was no connection between the NTF’s report and the leaked audio. Tsoukalas challenged the government to admit the authenticity of the audio of the stationmaster’s conversation that was published on March 1, 2023, just hours after the accident.

New Response from Government Sources

The government’s sources quickly retaliated, pointing out that Tsoukalas had to admit PASOK’s hypocritical and irresponsible stance on the EODASAM issue. On the leaked audio, they continued to assert that PASOK’s narrative was false.

In their new remarks, government sources quoted the Government Spokesman’s response from the latest briefing:

“We have seen this before. PASOK rushed again. They adopted a publication about the infamous audio. But let’s be clear: while we’ve always stated that all material has been handed over to the judiciary unaltered, the opposition built a narrative that extended even into the judiciary. A year later, what have we learned? That the opposition debated a motion of no confidence in Parliament for an audio that, just the day after it was published, was fully aired on ERT and all major media sites.”

The exchange is expected to continue as the government and PASOK engage in a political battle over the handling of the Tempi tragedy.