Tempe trial adjourned after court appoints three state-funded lawyers for defendant citing financial hardship
The Tempe train disaster trial was adjourned until Tuesday after the court appointed three state-funded lawyers for a defendant who could no longer afford his previous counsel.
Lawyer appointments
The president of the Three-Member Felony Appeals Court of Larissa appointed three lawyers from the Larissa Bar Association list to represent defendant Pavlos Kouzis, an ERGOSE employee. Kouzis had revoked his previous lawyer at the last session, stating he could not continue paying due to financial difficulties. The appointed lawyers are Ioannis Iliadis, Alexandra Konstantinidou, and Dimitrios Notas.
We will not become a reason or cause for delay in this trial. As lawyers, however, we have the basic obligation to defend every defendant as we should.
Court adjournment
After the three lawyers accepted the appointment and requested time to study the case file, the court adjourned until Tuesday, July 7, at 9:30 a.m. The president stressed the need to avoid both procedural nullities and delays.
The court does not want nullities but does not want delays.
Pending prosecutorial requests
The prosecutor has reserved on several key requests: upgrading the charge from negligent homicide to possible intentional homicide, prosecuting for exposure and explosion offenses, and attributing the felony of disrupting transport safety to two Hellenic Train executives currently charged only with misdemeanors. These decisions will follow the evidentiary phase. The prosecutor also reserved on calling new witnesses and presenting documents, but recommended rejecting requests for supplementary investigation, annulment of the indictment, and withdrawal of the case under Article 324 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Document submission
At the previous session, victims' relatives' lawyer Zoe Konstantopoulou submitted a document from the State Legal Council dated March 6, 2026, addressed to Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Dimas, and then Deputy Transport Minister Konstantinos Kyranakis. The reply from Kyranakis on March 20, 2026, requested the Greek state's declaration to support the prosecution against three stationmasters of the afternoon-evening shift of February 28, 2023, and the then head of the Larissa Inspection Department.
