Kostas Tsalikidis

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Kostas Tsalikidis (d. March 9, 2005) was head of Network Design of Vodafone Greece, and believed to be involved in the Greek telephone tapping case 2004-2005. He was found hanged in his flat. The verdict of his death indicated suicide.

However, when newspaper 'Ta Nea' revealed that Vodafone Greece had discovered wiretapping equipment in its network around the same time as his suicide, the media speculation went into overdrive.

Kostas Tsalikidis' name has been linked with the "Vodafone-gate" scandal and is widely believed that his suicide has to do with his alleged knowledge that certain Vodafone mobiles were wiretapped for six months during and after the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

The Greek media immediately implied that the two events were linked and have since dedicated a lot of time to this story. Vodafone's press office issued a statement insisting the two facts were not linked and said they would only discuss this matter with the authorities, not the media as it was disrespectful to the memory of Kostas Tsalikidis who had worked for Vodafone Greece since 1995. The media have even gone so far as to suggest that Tsalikidis was assassinated and there are now people who believe this theory to be true.

Finding their son's death suddenly under the media spotlight, the family of Kostas Tsalikidis have employed a lawyer to investigate their sons death.

The most recent reports are of a 'mystery man' who has allegedly been providing information about the circumstances surrounding the death who had met with the family’s lawyer and insisted that the technician had been murdered. Themistoklis Sofos (the lawyer) said he met with the man, who has still not been identified, at a remote spot on the outskirts of Attica. All that is known about the informant is that he is not a Vodafone employee.

He told Sofos that Tsalikidis was murdered to prevent him from talking about the spy software he discovered in Vodafone’s system. The man named the alleged killers, some of whom had links to the mobile phone firm, he claimed. Sofos said he asked for evidence to back up this claim and was told by the informant that he would get it in 10 days.