EPPO: Prosecution of 23 suspects in railway restoration project
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Athens announced on Monday that it has launched criminal proceedings against 23 individuals. The charges are related to offenses connected to the execution of contracts for the upgrading and improvement of the Signaling-Telecontrol System within the Greek railway network.
The accusations specifically involve the implementation of the contract for restoring the Signaling-Telecontrol System on the Athens-Thessaloniki-Promachonas railway section, commonly referred to as “Contract 717.”
As detailed in the EPPO statement, the investigation, initiated on November 28, 2022, focused on contracts aimed at enhancing the Telecontrol and Signaling systems in the Greek railway network. These contracts were entered into between ERGOSE, a subsidiary of the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) responsible for managing the agreements, and the Contractor Consortium—a collaboration of two companies tasked with project execution.
“Based on a private agreement, the two companies forming the Contractor Consortium arbitrarily divided the project between them immediately after the signing of Contract 717. One of the companies undertook the execution of the northern segment of the project, while the second company assumed responsibility for the larger portion of the railway route from Athens to Thessaloniki up to Platia, including the section near Tempe, where the fatal railway collision occurred on February 28, 2023,” said the statement.
According to the EPPO announcement, evidence gathered during the investigation has resulted in criminal charges being filed against 23 suspects.
