Three executives of the motorway operator Attikes Diadromes have been found guilty in connection with the entrapment of hundreds of drivers on the Attiki Odos highway during the severe winter storm ‘Elpis’ in January 2022. The Monomember Misdemeanor Court of Athens sentenced them to ten months’ imprisonment, suspended.
The court convicted them of disrupting road traffic safety — a misdemeanor under Greek law — and applied the mitigating factor of prior good conduct. However, it rejected the claim of sincere remorse, noting that their offer of €2,000 compensation per stranded driver was not voluntary but carried out under pressure from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, which had formally ordered the payment.
In contrast, three other defendants were acquitted. They included one executive from Attikes Diadromes and two officials from the Attiki Odos company itself. The Athens Public Prosecutor had sought convictions for four defendants; the court adopted this proposal in part, while also ordering that the trial records be forwarded to the Athens First Instance Prosecutor’s Office for further investigation into possible criminal liability of the then-Director of Traffic for Attica and the then-Commander of Traffic responsible for the Attiki Odos.
During the ‘Elpis’ storm, heavy snowfall rendered large sections of the Attiki Odos — including its exits — impassable. Hundreds of motorists and passengers remained stranded for hours as snow-covered roads prevented snowploughs from accessing the motorway to clear the way.