The deuteriatic representation of SYRIZA in Thessaly had two sides, but only one core: the hard opposition to the government.
In the first phase, the MPs Vassilis Kokkalis and Alexandros Avlonitis were in the Larissa Courthouse in the morning and requested that the charge for tampering with the site of the fatal accident in Tempi be upgraded to a felony. As well as bringing additional criminal prosecution to the degree of felony against the former Regional Governor of Thessaly (Kostas Agorastos) and government officials.
The deputy parliamentary representative and the head of justice of the official opposition met with two Appellants’ deputy prosecutors and informed them thoroughly of their request, submitting the relevant evidence. Leaving the Larissa Courthouse, they made statements on the matter.
Vassilis Kokkalis said: “As is known, SYRIZA will submit a request for a pre-investigation committee on the complicity in the crime of Tempe. A misdemeanor which was also characterized as a criminal act by the Larissa Appeals Prosecutor.
Today we asked for the upgrade – completion of the charge to a felony, because with a second crime, with Greek public money from the Recovery Fund, they covered up – covered up the issue of Tempi. We requested additional criminal prosecution to the degree of felony for Mr. Agorastos and for two former deputy ministers – ministers because the embezzlement was done with the money of the Greek people.
With our request we also request the removal of the telephone privacy of all those responsible who were at the scene of the accident immediately after. Linking the money wasted to make the patch constitutes felony infidelity.”
Alexandros Avlonitis pointed out: “We want to express in this way that we will continue, from the day the pre-investigation committee ended, the investigation. The research is done page by page, word by word. We are committed – and I am conveying exactly the wish of the president of our party – that until this case ends, we will also monitor it as lawyers and within this context we have come today to file this application so that the charge will be upgraded to a felony and at the same time to include in the context of the investigation the persons of Mr. Tsakiris and Mr. Papathanasis who signed the relevant administrative acts with which they paid 642,000 euros to the companies that undertook the transportation of all the debris of the two wagons, the excavating, the excavating and the transfer of 300 tons of soil, as a result of which not only the legal order and the criminal law will be affected, but also the souls of the parents who lost 57 children and will obscure every possible effort of science and justice, to establish the cause where about 30 people were burnt to death.
We are obliged to our souls, to our qualities as parliamentarians and as a party, to do everything possible for the truth to shine.”
Kasselakis: “This is Greece. Dot. Zero”
This was followed by the autopsy of Stefanos Kasselakis in the Xiria stream in order to determine what the situation is now with the dead fish that flooded Pagasitikos in the previous days.
In his statement immediately after, the president of SYRIZA argued that “these phenomena do not happen suddenly. This is not something we could not have foreseen. There were many university professors who had mentioned Daniel’s possible effects on the entire ecosystem here in Pagasitikos. And the question is why was there no surveillance? Why was there no administrative oversight? Where did that ball go?’
“It is a classic example, a very sad example and for us, for SYRIZA, as a party of the modern Left for which the environment and climate adaptation is a key, identity issue, seeing such a huge ecological disaster affects you very deeply and psychologically and politically. Apart from the economic effects, here in the place that has suffered so much in the last year and from what it seems, Thessaly and Volos are slowly being deserted” continued St. Kasselakis.
According to Mr. Kasselakis, “the question is why there was this mess between a Ministry of the Environment that is silent, an OFYPEKA that was supposed to have the authority from the organization of Karla, from an ODYTH S.A., which still does not have Board of Directors and from the District, which had to intervene in the end. Weren’t there other solutions, other warnings?
“These issues are issues that bring to the fore the importance of responsibility. There is administrative responsibility, there is political responsibility. So far we have not seen anyone take responsibility. So, we expect beyond the solutions for rehabilitation and compensation to the local community, not aspirins, but real solutions, We finally expect to see from the government the dismissal of those responsible for this situation. There must be accountability. There is authority, If the government has made a mess of the staff state and does not know where it is, let it dismiss those who have authority. Just the things.
I am very sorry for this situation, it really hurts you as a Greek citizen, not only the residents. As a Greek, it hurts me to see my country in the headlines worldwide, with such an ecological disaster that the other person tells you: Well, doesn’t Greece have basic infrastructure? This is Greece. Dot. Zero. I’m very sorry,” he said with the background of the torrential rain.
“No prime minister for the last five years?”
To a question about the anti-flood protection plan that the prime minister is going to announce and which is predicted to put more burden on Lake Karla, Stefanos Kasselakis answered: My first reaction is: Well, there hasn’t been a prime minister for the last five years? Where was Janos? Had he not come to Thessaly? Hadn’t he promised again that there would be relief, that it wouldn’t happen again? Where has he been all these years?
Second, I saw the file that the District had, the last time I visited Mr. Kureta. The complete infrastructure that Thessaly needs costs 500,000,000 euros. These damages over here are bankrupting my generation and the younger generations and it is immoral for this to happen in our Greece. Finally, let the projects be done. To prioritize.
If Mr. Mitsotakis wants to find resources, let him look at the electricity companies, which he finances indirectly with the oligopolies he allows. Resources exist. We also saw it in the refineries when he suddenly woke up, to put an extraordinary levy based on the proposals he called “money trees”. He is fine in blaming, in being able to take money from where there is filthy lucre and give it where there should be infrastructure and prevention, he doesn’t do it and we are here before being surprised.
Finally, permanent solutions should be given, if necessary we should also look at the outflow to the Aegean once and for all and finish and finally be able to have a Thessaly which does not see its inhabitants worrying about how the weather will dawn”.
In response to a question on whether the previous government of the country is also responsible for the situation in Pagasitikos, Mr. Kasselakis emphasized: “SYRIZA is not the one who abolished the lake’s body. Let me remind you that there was also a plan until 2021, which was not done for the runoff and this led the European Commission to intervene.
So, let’s not kid ourselves, the responsibilities here belong to the New Democracy government, which made a confusing centralized system, instead of letting the Region have the responsibility and oversight and funds it should have. So no, I don’t think SYRIZA is responsible for this. I have no problem admitting where in general the SYRIZA government has responsibilities, but in this particular case SYRIZA had delivered a very good starting point, just as it had delivered zoning maps. Others, who abolished them and turned them into a state of shambles.”
Kasselakis meeting with social agencies
The president of SYRIZA participated in a meeting at the headquarters of the Magnesia Regional Unit with social and productive bodies of Volos.
During his introductory statement, Mr. Kasselakis emphasized: “There are three issues here. There is the scientific, there is the political and there is also the social. The scientific question concerns why there was no prevention of this situation since the universities warned? Why was there no proper monitoring by the competent bodies? And there is the political issue. It is the overlapping of responsibilities that has caused a staff mess and at the end of the day no one takes responsibility. And finally the social issue, because I realize that the implications are huge. For a year now, I know that you have gone through very difficult times financially, that reparations must be given, they must be significant and we must also find a way so that the current situation, which is another wound, does not become a gratuitous shot of the place, let this place wither, Volos, Magnesia”.
The MP of Magnesia Al. participated in the meeting. Meikopoulos, Larissa MP V. Kokkalis and Corfu MP Al. Avlonitis, the local deputy regional governor of Magnesia and Sporades Anna Maria Papadimitriou, the thematic deputy regional governor for Environment Fotis Lambrinidis, the president of the Volos Trade Association Apostolos Ontopoulos, the president of OEVEM Dorothea Kanavitsa, the president of the Volos Medical Association Christos Venetis, the president of the Magnesia Hotel Association Giorgos Zafeiris, the secretary of the Fishing Association of Magnesia Nikos Zachos and councilor of the “Alliance for Volos” Fotini Kokkinaki.
The social and productive bodies expressed their strong dissatisfaction with the treatment of Volos and Magnesia, they stood on the economic and environmental destruction in the region and emphasized that brave support is needed in order to return the city to normality.
During the reception of Mr. Kasselakis at the river Xiria, the regional deputy governor of Magnesia and Sporades, Anna Maria Papadimitriou, pointed out that “all the businessmen of the region are in a very difficult situation, because there is great mistrust as to whether the infrastructures have been restored. You already know that we have been waiting for a year for the ministry, which has taken over the responsibility from the Region, with a gazette, in October 2023 to come and do the permanent restorations. We do temporary restorations which you understand that with the first rain they subside as they are temporary constructions with 3A and we wait since we do not have the authority for them to come and complete the work”.
Mr. Kasselakis responded by underlining that “we are at a point where we have to think about what sustainable development means. It goes to say that the next generation will have better growth than the previous one. How will the next generation have better development, when we owe billions because an effective state does not invest in prevention? We also see this in fires. This must change, the first priority for our country should be to be fortified in terms of environment and health. At the moment we are an unripe vine.”
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