The wiretapping trial currently under way in Greece proceeded on Monday despite the absence of two key witnesses who had been summoned to testify, as the court moved forward with the examination of documentary evidence.
The hearing, held on January 19, marked the 28th session of the trial and took place at the Athens Single-Member Misdemeanor Court, located at the Evelpidon courthouse complex. Instead of witness testimony, the court focused on reading and formally entering documents included in the case file or submitted during the proceedings.
Among those expected to appear were arms dealer Stavros Komnopoulos and microbiologist Sofia Striggari. Komnopoulos has been linked, according to testimony and evidence in the case, to payments made through a company connected to his business interests for rental properties used by former executives of Intellexa, the company associated with the Predator surveillance software. Striggari, who owns a microbiology laboratory, had conducted COVID-19 tests for executives of Intellexa and the security firm Krikel during the period under investigation. In earlier testimony, she had been described by another witness as the “personal doctor” of Giannis Lavranos, a central figure in the case.
A representative of Komnopoulos submitted documentation to the court stating that he had been hospitalized the previous day, rendering him unable to attend. This followed a previous failure to appear, when he had cited a COVID-19 infection as the reason for his absence.
Striggari, by contrast, offered no explanation for failing to appear before the court.
As the two were the final witnesses expected to testify, the presiding judge decided to proceed with the trial by ordering the reading of documents rather than postponing the session.
The trial is set to resume on Wednesday, January 21, at 9:00 a.m., when the court will continue reviewing documents, including material submitted by lawyers representing the civil parties supporting the prosecution.
