Concerns over bugs and hidden cameras and the use of illegal software were among details revealed at Southwark Crown Court earlier this week, as the trial into an alleged fraud against Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Scotland continued.
Property tycoon Achilleas Kallakis and his partner Alexander Williams deny all charges.
A former employee of Kallakis’ Atlas Management, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court that a bug and hidden camera were found in the firm’s offices at 8 Carlos Place, W1.
The bugs were found as part of a sweep by forensic investigator QCC Information Security, which was hired by Kallakis in 2008 in a bid to alleviate fears that he was being spied on.
The employee said: “Kallakis told me he was concerned about information leaking from the company.”
The witness claimed that a bug was found attached to Kallakis’ calculator, with the receiver discovered in Williams’ desk drawer, and that a camera was hidden in a smoke alarm in the firm’s boardroom, which relayed back to Kallakis’ office.
Earlier, the witness said that the group had been fined by the British Software Alliance for using an illegal IT system.
The system was replaced by the employee, who claimed Kallakis and Williams operated from their own personal laptops so that their e-mails could not be picked up on the group server.
Kallakis and Williams both plead not guilty to the charges. The case continues.
joanna.bourke@estatesgazete.com
