Unprecedented developments have emerged in the ongoing trial in Larissa concerning the missing video footage from the freight train involved in the fatal Tempe rail disaster. As the prosecutor overseeing the case herself stated, what is unfolding is ‘unprecedented’ — not an exaggeration by observers, but a direct assessment from the bench.
The controversy centers on revelations that one of the two court-appointed forensic experts — appointed during the investigative phase — withheld audiovisual material collected in the immediate aftermath of the crash. This material, captured from both trains and the accident site, was never included in the official case file. At a time when the entire country was searching for answers — speculating, drawing premature conclusions about whether the freight train carried undeclared or illegal cargo — this expert failed to submit photographs and videos that could have provided critical evidence to investigators.
The court had already ordered, in its previous session, the seizure of computers and all digital files belonging to both appointed experts. That order was executed yesterday: a team, accompanied by the prosecutor, visited the workplace of expert Mr. Batzopoulos in the Thessaly Region and seized digital files from his computer.
‘What’s happening in this trial is unprecedented! What’s happening today should have taken place during the preliminary investigation…’ said the presiding prosecutor, expressing deep concern and implicitly questioning the conduct and professional diligence of both experts. They were appointed by Special Investigating Judge of Larissa Sotiris Bakaimis to determine the causes of the tragedy.
Just before the highly anticipated main trial of the Tempe disaster — expected to answer fundamental questions for the families of the 57 victims and the 180 survivors — these revelations from the Monomember Misdemeanor Court of Larissa cast serious doubt over the integrity of the forensic process. Relatives of the victims have voiced objections from the outset regarding the findings submitted by experts Mr. Vasilakos and Mr. Batzopoulos.
Notably, the experts’ reports addressed several key issues — including the cause of the fire, which they attributed to engine oil, and the freight train’s cargo. They concluded that freight train 63503 was empty of suspicious or hazardous materials.