A new political dynamic has emerged in the handling of the Tempi case following the decision of former minister Christos Triantopoulos to take an unprecedented legal step by requesting his immediate referral to the Judicial Council and, if necessary, to his natural judge—bypassing the parliamentary Pre-Investigative Committee altogether.

According to reports, Triantopoulos was in consultation with the government before making this move, which essentially brings him one step away from the Special Court. He maintains his innocence, which is why he insists on being judged directly by the judiciary.

As a procedural matter, the Pre-Investigative Committee is set to convene tomorrow at 12:00 PM to vote on Triantopoulos’ request. A majority is expected, which will then refer the matter to the Plenary Session of Parliament.

Should the Plenary approve the request, the case will be handed over to a five-member Judicial Council, consisting of Supreme Court and Council of State judges, which—according to government sources—has full jurisdiction over the matter.

These same sources clarify that the Judicial Council will conduct a complete pre-trial investigation, and the Supreme Court judge assigned as the examining magistrate will have the discretion to summon witnesses as needed. However, the Judicial Council cannot escalate the charges or expand the indictment unless it returns the case file to Parliament requesting a broader scope, should it deem it necessary.

The foundation of the case at the Judicial Council will be the indictment drafted by PASOK, which initially sought Triantopoulos’ referral to the Pre-Investigative Committee.

“End of the Show”

In his letter to the Pre-Investigative Committee members, Triantopoulos justifies his request by arguing that any findings from the committee would be automatically challenged due to political arithmetic.

“I fear that any conclusions reached by your committee will be met with strong dispute and political controversy, which will inevitably follow me for the rest of my public and private life,” wrote the former minister, stressing his preference for judgment by a natural court.

Government sources argue that, in any case, if criminal liability had been substantiated, Triantopoulos would have ended up before the Judicial Council anyway.

Government: “Tempi Inquiry is Not a Stage for Political Spectacle”

At the Maximos Mansion, officials believe that Triantopoulos’ move has effectively undercut PASOK and SYRIZA, stripping them of key arguments they planned to use to stage a political spectacle in the Pre-Investigative Committee.

A government source put it bluntly:

“PASOK and SYRIZA were setting up a show in the Pre-Investigative Committee. SYRIZA had even hinted at summoning the Prime Minister as a witness.”

Another high-ranking government official posed the rhetorical question:

“Triantopoulos is being referred to the Judicial Council based on PASOK’s own indictment. Does PASOK not trust its own legal case? Or did they simply want to prolong an ineffective process?”

In the same vein, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis remarked:

“PASOK had already pre-determined a guilty verdict, while SYRIZA argues that political parties should act as judges instead of actual senior judges from the highest courts.”

Prime Minister to Opposition: “Take Responsibility”

The Prime Minister has once again called on the opposition parties to take responsibility for their stance.

“Does the opposition consider the top judicial authorities incapable of conducting a thorough investigation?” government officials asked pointedly.

Meanwhile, PASOK, SYRIZA, the Communist Party (KKE), and New Left have all rejected Triantopoulos’ direct referral to the Judicial Council.

Setting a Legal Precedent

Without a doubt, Triantopoulos’ request—if approved—will set a legal precedent that could be utilized by other political figures in the future.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis has already initiated discussions on constitutional reform, specifically regarding Article 86 and the abolition of parliamentary oversight over ministerial offenses.

Under this framework, if new evidence emerges regarding other individuals in the Tempi case, and the judiciary proceeds with indictments, the same referral process could apply to them as well.

It’s worth noting that Mitsotakis announced yesterday via Facebook that the government will also submit legislation eliminating statute of limitations for ministerial crimes, which had already been weakened following the 2019 constitutional revision.

These provisions will be included in the first bill to be tabled by the Ministry of Justice.

The Alivizatos Proposal and PASOK’s Stance

Notably, a similar proposal to Triantopoulos’ request had previously been suggested by Professor Nikos Alivizatos, an eminent constitutional law expert.

Additionally, PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis, speaking on Open TV on February 8, had proposed that:

“Any findings from Greek or European judicial authorities that involve political figures—which is precisely why they are brought to Parliament—should be referred directly to their natural judge via the Pre-Investigative Committee.”