A court has convicted three executives of Attikes Diadromes SA, the company responsible for operating the Attiki Odos highway, over the trapping of thousands of motorists during a severe snowstorm in January 2022.
The Athens Single-Member Misdemeanor Court sentenced the three defendants to 10 months in prison, suspended, after finding them guilty of disrupting transport safety, a misdemeanor offense, in connection with the chaos caused by Storm Elpida.
The court granted the defendants a mitigating factor for their previously lawful conduct but rejected a claim of genuine remorse, noting that compensation of 2,000 euros was given to each stranded driver after pressure from the government rather than as an initiative by the company.
Three other defendants – one from Attikes Diadromes SA and two from Attiki Odos – were acquitted. The prosecutor had requested the conviction of four defendants.
The court also approved a request to forward the trial records to the Athens Prosecutor’s Office for further investigation into the possible role of public officials, including the then head of the Attica Traffic Police and the director of the relevant Attiki Odos department.
