The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport said on Wednesday it was imposing a €2 million fine on the operators of the Attiki Odos Bypass Motorway for stopping traffic during last month’s snowstorm. This is the highest fine allowed by law.
Minister Kostas Karamanlis has decided to impose the highest fine allowed by law on Attiki Odos SA and Attikes Diadromes (who operate and maintain the highway) for their share of responsibility for the problems that caused traffic to stop on the highway and motorists trapped in snow during the time of a strong snowstorm on January 24, 2022.
Each of the companies was fined one million euros.
The minister’s decision is based on the report of the commission of inquiry set up by the ministry, according to the state news agency. amna .
“After all the unacceptable things that happened on Attiki Odos, the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis has committed to take responsibility. To do this, the ministry in 2020 created a legal framework for imposing liability on concessionaires when closing highways. Today, for the first time, we can impose fines totaling 2 million euros,” Karamanlis said.
Thousands of motorists and passengers were trapped on Attiki Odos for almost 24 hours, and the highway around the Greek capital of Athens reopened to traffic 69 hours later.
The CEO of Attiki Odos has resigned.
The management company offered compensation in the amount of 2000 euros for the vehicle, yet many of the thousands of passengers and motorists have responded with massive lawsuits seeking much larger compensation.
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