The Tempi case was referenced in a leaflet distributed on Tuesday (09/12) at the event organized by MEP Nikolas Farandouris at the European Parliament in Brussels, attended by Maria Karystianos. “The European Public Prosecutor’s Office can and should proceed with conducting investigations, pursuing prosecutions, or imposing sanctions or restrictive conditions by bypassing the Constitutional provision of Article 86 of the Constitution,” was the conclusion of the leaflet distributed during the discussion-complaint about the high-profile case. The related text titled “European Law and Constitution in corruption cases: institutional and economic aspects” is signed by MEP and Professor N. Farandouris, who is also coordinator of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament, in collaboration with Manolis Spathis MSc.
Karystianos: I didn’t come to beg, I came to demand justice
Maria Karystianos also sent a message to the EU during her speech at the event. “I call on the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, even if late, to act so that the supremacy of Union law over national legislation regarding Article 86 is applied,” said Ms. Karystianos, who is also president of the Association of Relatives of Tempi Victims.
It should be noted that during her fourth visit to the European Parliament regarding the Tempi case, she did not hesitate to turn against the EU for failing to comply with European legislation, while pointing out all those who “did not do what they should have done, their job.”
More specifically, she turned against the EU, which “should have ensured compliance with European legislation in
the railway network in Greece and should have banned its operation since it did not meet safety criteria.” On the contrary, as she said, even now it blesses its operation, although it knows that safety requirements are not being met.
She then turned against both ERA (European Union Agency for Railways) and the Commission for not doing what they should have done, their job as she said. “Only fines are imposed that we citizens pay,” she emphasized. Additionally, she spoke about the Transport Commissioner, who “told us ‘what happened happened’, we’ll see what happens in the future,” something Ms. Karystianos characterized as a cover-up.
“I didn’t come to beg, I came to demand justice. To ask European institutions and other EU bodies to do their job,” she emphasized.
“I call on the EP’s petitions committee to examine the pending petitions it has, MEPs to pressure the Commission and ERA, as well as the Transport Commissioner to do his job,” she underlined.
In her second intervention at the event’s closing, Maria Karystianos said that “we who are here want justice above all, we want the rule of law, we identify dysfunctions and try to change them. That’s why Union law was created, to protect us from illegalities by ministers in every member state. I leave with the wish that what was said here will lead to activation.”
Tempi case: Who spoke at the event
It should be noted that the event, held in a packed hall, was attended by MEPs from all parties except New Democracy. Besides Nikolas Farandouris and Maria Karystianos, interventions were made by Christos Rammos (via video), Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Socialist MEP, Professor of Constitutional Law and former Minister of Justice of Spain, Ioannis Drosos, Professor Emeritus of Constitutional Law at the Athens Law School, and Daniela Mainenti, Professor of Comparative Criminal Law at UniNettuno University in Rome.
