The “threshold” of the European Prosecutor’s Office is to be crossed in the coming period for anonymous statements (i.e. in the capacity of a suspect of committing criminal acts) by 16 representatives of ERGOSE and the consortium which had undertaken the contract “717” for the signalling and telecommunications on the railway and is linked to the Tebon tragedy.

The case concerns the approval and signing of compensation to the consortium, even though the signalling project, which, if it had been carried out on time according to the contracts, would have avoided the tragedy of Tempe, had not been completed.

The suspects summoned by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office have already requested and received a deadline to prepare themselves. Then, after all 16 persons have provided their explanations, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office will decide whether to proceed with criminal prosecution against them or whether to proceed with the archiving of this part of the case file.

In particular, the 16 persons were invited by the European prosecutors in Greece to give explanations in the capacity of suspects in the framework of the last part of the criminal investigation being carried out on non-political persons regarding the “717” contract case.

The “16” to make an unsworn statement relates, as the case may be, to the following offences: Direct complicity in joint fraud against the financial interests of the European Union and the Greek State, from which the damage caused exceeds in total the amount of 120,000 euros and instigation of joint fraud against the financial interests of the European Union and the Greek State committed repeatedly.

According to information, the above persons are alleged to have intentionally provided direct assistance to the then Minister of Infrastructure and Transport during the commission of the main act of dishonesty against the financial interests of the European Union and the Greek State. The offence of disloyalty was allegedly committed on 12.1.2021, and the damage caused by it exceeds a total of 120,000 euros.