Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis on Wednesday defended the decision made by former deputy minister Christos Triantopoulos, who requested that he be referred directly to a council of justices for the accusations levelled against him regarding the Tempi accident and forego a preliminary parliamentary investigation by his peers.
"It's a brave decision. He's a man who is being accused of something he himself has stated he didn't do. And if one looks at the proposal with which this particular case is introduced, there is no testimony or evidence that implicates him," Marinakis said in an interview on Wednesday with SKAI radio.
"However, he himself says, 'I want to be judged by the regular judges,' by the judicial council. That is, out of five supreme judges drawn, three are from the Supreme Court (Areios Paghos) and two members of the Council of State and they will decide whether or not to refer him to the special court, as is done in every such case. The first is that it is a decision that has a strong element of bravery in it, by Mr. Triantopoulos. The second is a decision that contributes to addressing a climate of distrust in a large part of society, and especially young people, in relation to institutions, politics, politicians, and this has great value."
"It is a decision that reveals in all its glory the hypocrisy of the opposition and dispels every last argument of cover-up that has been heard against the government," added Marinakis.
Finally, he underlined that "the case file for the tragic accident in Tempi is being investigated by the prosecutinh authorities in Larissa. Whatever they say, we are not going to stand in the way of anyone. We are not going to stand in justice's way."