The Prosecutor of the Court of Appeal fully confirms the Ombudsman’s finding that the leadership of the Greek Coast Guard committed criminal negligence, nine months after the public release of “arbitrary” findings, as announced by the Ministry of Shipping.
Criminal prosecution for criminal acts has already been ordered against the current Chief of the Coast Guard , following an appeal by the victims of the deadliest shipwreck in the Mediterranean in recent years. The Chief himself as well as senior officers of the Coast Guard will now be called upon to apologize for their failure to save hundreds of human lives. They should also apologize for their orders and instructions to the crew of the Coast Guard vessel, which, as reported, caused the shipwreck by towing the fatal vessel, Adriana.
However, despite this attributed participation in the criminal management of the incident, almost all the senior officers who were involved in the fatal incident have been promoted. More typical is the case of the current Chief of the Coast Guard, who was selected for this position during the last validation procedure, while been accused of the fatal shipwreck. He should have already resigned.