Today, New Democracy is anticipated to propose the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into former Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Kostas Ax. Karamanlis. The move aims to investigate allegations of breach of duty against the former minister, stemming from testimonies by two senior ministry officials to appellate investigator Sotiris Bakaimi, who is overseeing the Tebon case. The investigator has forwarded the case file to Parliament without further evaluation, leaving the decision on how to proceed in the hands of lawmakers.

Throughout the process, ND has carefully assessed the dossier, dismissing the idea of pursuing a felony prosecution. The focus of potential charges will be solely on Mr. Karamanlis, not on his former deputies, and will center on concerns raised by his former subordinate officials. Essentially, the inquiry aims to examine whether Karamanlis exercised his administrative responsibilities appropriately—specifically, whether he contributed to strengthening OSE with adequate staffing and increased funding for the railways. Notably, railway safety itself is viewed as separate from the grounds for prosecution, which are rooted in political disagreements between ND and PASOK. Government officials also emphasized that the Railways Regulatory Authority remains the competent authority on such matters.

The proposal will explicitly exclude Christos Spirtzis, the former Infrastructure Minister during the SYRIZA government, as any responsibilities he may have held are considered barred by statute of limitations.

Internal Party Dynamics and the Triantopoulos Model

Within ND, there are members who believe that even the accusations of defamation against Karamanlis are unfounded given the available evidence. However, from a political and parliamentary standpoint, it seems unlikely that an Investigative Committee focusing on the former minister will not be convened.

It is expected that the Triantopoulos model—fast-track procedures in the pre-investigation phase—will be employed. This approach aims to expedite the referral of the case to the five-member Judicial Council for further evaluation. The government’s commitment is that, should the Council recommend upgrading the charges, the majority in Parliament will not oppose the move.

**Karamanlis’ Position**

According to protothema.gr, the former minister is in consultations with Maximos Mansion regarding the case’s next steps. Once ND’s proposal is announced, it is highly probable that Karamanlis will issue a statement indicating his willingness to cooperate with parliamentary proceedings.

Karamanlis has been assembling a team of experienced lawyers in preparation for this phase. It is considered logical for him to first present a memorandum to the Pre-Investigation Committee and subsequently address the Parliament’s plenary session, which will determine whether to pursue prosecution and refer the case to the Judicial Council.