2023-06-20 23:59:37
Nine men accused of involvement in the worst boat sinking in the Mediterranean this year denied any wrongdoing when they were questioned by Greek judicial authorities on Tuesday.
The accident claimed the lives of at least 82 people, while the Greek authorities are still searching for survivors, although there is almost no chance of finding more of them, following rescuing 104.
Greece is under increasing scrutiny over its handling of the June 12-13 disaster.
The fishing boat, which ranged between 20 and 30 meters in length, sank off the southwestern coast of Greece, in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean Sea, on a journey that began in Libya and was supposed to end in Italy.
It is believed that the boat was carrying up to 700 migrants from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan.
The Coast Guard recovered three more bodies on Monday, six days following the disaster, and one body on Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 82, and it is feared that hundreds may have died.
The people suspected of involvement in the smuggling, all from Egypt and between the ages of 20 and 40, appeared before the Greek Public Prosecution Office on Tuesday to answer charges that include manslaughter, establishing a criminal organization, smuggling migrants and causing a shipwreck.
Hellenic state radio and television said they all denied any wrongdoing.
A lawyer for one of the two defendants said that his client is not a smuggler, but rather a victim who sought a better life in Europe and paid money to be transported to Italy.
The Greek authorities stated that the survivors told them that each of them had paid $4,500 for the trip.
Italy notified Greece on June 12 of the presence of the boat in an area under its jurisdiction in order to carry out search and rescue operations.
Commercial ships approached the boat and the Greek Coast Guard followed it for several hours before it capsized and sank.
But the exact circumstances of the boat’s sinking, despite the presence of the Coast Guard, are still unclear.
According to a report by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, the survivors, who were summoned by Athens to obtain additional testimonies earlier this week, said for the first time that the coast guard tried to tow their boat.
According to the Greek authorities, the boat has repeatedly refused Greek help because it wants to go to Italy.
Authorities have rejected accounts of the boat capsizing following the Coast Guard attempted to tow it.
In Brussels, the European Union decided to allocate 15 billion euros from its budget between 2024 and 2027 to strengthen immigration policies.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the money would be used, among other things, to strengthen partnerships with third countries, provide assistance to refugees in the Middle East and respond to humanitarian crises, adding when asked regarding the boat wreck: “What happened is horrific and our action has become even more urgent.”
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