Christos Mavrikis: The blackmailer, the wiretaps, and the basement of Aravantinou street

Christos Mavrikis, an 83-year-old infamous for his involvement in Greece’s 1990s wiretapping scandal, was apprehended on Tuesday for allegedly attempting to bribe a senior judge. He reportedly offered money to sway an ongoing court case concerning the ownership of 100 acres in Papagou, a suburb of Athens.

This case has been promptly referred to the chief prosecutor of Athens to investigate potential judicial bribery.

Previous Conviction:

In 1997, Mavrikis was convicted for trying to bribe Ioanna Klapa, who is currently the President of Greece’s Supreme Court (Areios Pagos), during her tenure as an examining magistrate in a fuel smuggling case. He received a 12-month prison sentence.

The Wiretapping Scandal of the 1990s:

As a former technician at OTE, Greece’s telecommunications company, Mavrikis gained notoriety in the early 1990s after he confessed to illegally wiretapping politicians by installing bugs in telephone junction boxes (KAFKAO).

• He utilized “crocodile clips” to access phone lines and recorded conversations using cassette tapes.
• Mavrikis claimed that significant recordings were forwarded to the office of then-Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis.

Accusations and Political Repercussions:

• Dora Bakoyannis, daughter of Mitsotakis and a future minister, was cited as both a victim and alleged accomplice in Mavrikis’s claims.
• She was accused of being aware of a surveillance center purportedly located in the basement of her family’s building on Aravantinou Street.
• In Parliament, she denied these allegations, asserting that the building was solely used by the New Democracy party from 1985–1990.

Targeted Individuals:

• Mavrikis claimed to have monitored over 100 PASOK officials, including notable figures like Andreas Papandreou and Antonis Livanis, as well as members of New Democracy such as Dora Bakoyannis and Miltiadis Evert.
• The veracity of these claims has been questioned, as technical examinations revealed fewer instances than he alleged.

Legal and Political Consequences:

• Following PASOK’s return to power in 1994, a parliamentary inquiry contemplated prosecuting Mitsotakis and Bakoyannis in a Special Court. In the end, Bakoyannis was exonerated, and legal actions were halted for political reasons.
• In 1998, Mavrikis was sentenced to five years in prison due to charges related to the wiretapping scandal, which included blackmail, illegal surveillance, and coercion.
• His victims included various businessmen and journalists, particularly publisher Dimitris Rizos, whom Mavrikis allegedly attempted to blackmail live on television.

Recent Incidents:

• In August 2022, Mavrikis was arrested after threatening a citizen during a dispute at a gas station in Pikermi, during which he allegedly brandished a gun and prompted police involvement.
• During his arrest, authorities found a flashlight-taser, a knife, a bullet casing, and at his home, an old WWII submachine gun (billed as a family heirloom) along with 40 grams of cannabis.

Christos Mavrikis, a notorious figure in one of Greece’s most prominent political scandals, has once again entered the public eye following allegations of attempting to manipulate the judicial system. His history is closely linked with covert surveillance, political manipulation, and numerous criminal convictions, solidifying his status as a significant figure in contemporary Greek political controversies.