“Is there a cover-up? No, quite the opposite,” emphasizes Minister of Justice Giorgos Floridis in an interview with Direct on protothema.gr and Giorgos Evgenidis, against the backdrop of the Tempi tragedy. He also stresses that anyone claiming a cover-up should specify exactly what the government supposedly wanted to conceal.

Floridis dismantles what he calls a series of lies that have circulated in public debate—from claims about xylene to the train car that allegedly evaporated in an explosion. At the same time, he takes particular aim at Kyriakos Velopoulos.

Asked about his remark that “some politicians talking about ‘burying’ (the case) belong in the rubble themselves,” the Minister of Justice stands by his wording. He clarifies that he was referring to the opposition’s attempt to politically exploit the tragedy. He insists that the government has done everything in its power to facilitate Justice, ensuring a full investigation while also preventing any possibility of the case being written off.

He speaks about his personal experience with trains, as he frequently traveled the Athens–Thessaloniki route, and he believes that today, the railway is safer. He argues that many people took to the streets in protests because they genuinely wanted answers, adding that “conspiracy theories play a role” in shaping public sentiment about the tragedy.