The Tempi rail tragedy could have been prevented if EU-funded safety projects had been completed on time and to standard, European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi said, renewing her criticism of systemic corruption in Europe.
In an interview with Germany’s ARD network, a joint organization of Germany’s regional public-service broadcasters, she warned that financial crimes can have deadly consequences, citing the 57 lives lost in the crash.
“How many more tragedies must we live through before we finally realize that financial crimes are not petty offenses?” Kövesi asked. Discussing the human cost of corruption, she used the Tempi crash to highlight the need for timely and properly executed safety projects.
Kövesi’s investigations point to delayed safety upgrades in Tempi rail tragedy
According to Kövesi, EU investigations found that Greece had received millions in EU funding to modernize its railway network, including a critical signaling system. “If the project had been finished on schedule and done correctly, the tragedy could have been avoided,” she said.
The ARD report noted that “the largest fraud cases in the EU are on her desk.” Kövesi emphasized that no country is immune from corruption, pointing to widespread subsidy scams, tax evasion, and customs fraud.
Pushback from political circles
Kövesi acknowledged that her work has made her unpopular with some politicians. “Some have told me directly: ‘Ms. Kövesi, you shouldn’t talk so much about these cases, and you shouldn’t publish certain findings,’” she said. What continues to surprise her, even in Europe, is “the tendency to avoid tackling problems when they first appear.”
“I saw firsthand how corruption shaped our daily lives,” she added. “I wanted to do something meaningful for society, and I believed my work could make a difference.” Kövesi became the first woman to serve as European Chief Prosecutor in 2019.
Thousands of cases under investigation
In 2024 alone, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) opened more than 2,666 corruption-related investigations. The estimated damage to EU funds reached roughly $27 billion.
Kövesi was just 33 when she became Romania’s youngest and first female Prosecutor General in 2006—in a country widely regarded at the time as one of Europe’s most corruption-prone.
In addressing Germany, she noted that it is no exception: frequent tax fraud cases cost its tax authorities nearly $10.9 billion each year.
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