Police have recommended criminal prosecutions against a number of people and organisations over defective Takata airbags that killed two drivers and seriously injured a third, Phileleftheros understands. The file, recently sent back to the Law Office of the Republic, also examines how the authorities handled the issue over a decade.
The drivers who died were Kyriakos Oxinos, 24, killed in a crash on 24 January 2023, and Styliani Giorgalli, 19, killed in a crash on 21 October 2024. Nine months after Oxinos’s death, a police report concluded that it had been caused by the defective Takata airbag in his vehicle. Alexandros Loungou was also seriously injured when an airbag exploded, and needed several operations.
Traffic police first investigated the deaths and the injury, before passing their findings to investigators from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at police headquarters. The CID team has now completed an inquiry lasting about 15 months, and its final findings point to the possible commission of criminal offences. Statements were taken from a large number of people, and some were later called to give statements under caution.
The key question for investigators was whether the owners of the vehicles involved had been told about the recall. At one stage, the inquiry extended abroad, with organisations asked for information on who was responsible for informing owners about the defective airbags.
The file was sent back to the Law Office after further inquiries were carried out as instructed. A team of lawyers from its criminal division will now study the file and submit recommendations to the heads of the Law Office.
The inquiry also examined the findings of an investigative committee on how the relevant services and officials handled the issue over a decade. The committee held two former directors of the Road Transport Department and a number of other officials responsible, with a view to disciplinary action.
