The time has come for the 54-year-old Air Force Wing Commander, arrested last week on charges of espionage, to present his defense before the Athens Air Force Court. His arrest sent shockwaves through the Hellenic Armed Forces and raised a host of questions about the extent of China’s penetration into Western national security systems.

The…retirees

The 54-year-old Wing Commander is expected to attempt to downplay the charges against him, seeking to link his actions to efforts to secure employment after his retirement—something that is not prohibited in principle, although, according to military sources, the existing framework should be thoroughly revised. This is because employment in private companies or the provision of services to third countries is the usual professional refuge for Armed Forces personnel, yet without restrictions such as limiting services to NATO countries or to others with an active defense cooperation framework with the EU.

For this reason, the authorities’ investigations into the spy’s actual network are expanding to include retired Air Force officers. Three individuals who have retired and are providing services to a third country are reportedly under scrutiny, as are serving senior and high-ranking officers with whom he maintained contact in recent years.

After the initial shock and given the now-established attempt at espionage by Beijing—unprecedented for the Greek Ministry of Defense—officers of the Armed Forces are now being investigated “from scratch.” Among the questions that remain unanswered are how the use of dual mobile phones by the arrested spy went undetected, as well as his published articles on China, in which he highlighted Beijing’s “technological miracle,” writing under his real name in sector-specific magazines, as revealed by THEMA.

The scenarios

At the same time, it is considered almost certain that the arrested spy is heading toward pre-trial detention, facing severe penalties that could amount to up to 20 years of imprisonment in military or civilian prisons, following the application of deprivation of citizenship, as provided for in the recently passed omnibus bill of the Ministry of National Defense. Moreover, the fact that he allegedly transferred classified information of NATO interest to China does not rule out his extradition to a third country, provided that his citizenship has been revoked and that there is relevant interest.

This is all the more so given that it is considered difficult, if not impossible, to identify the Chinese handler with whom the 54-year-old Wing Commander came into contact, as concealing the handler’s true identity is standard practice. According to information from ERTnews, the name “Steven” is the only identifying detail that has emerged so far from the accused officer’s testimony. However, the competent security services express serious doubts as to whether this is a real name or an operational alias, something considered common in counter-intelligence cases.

At the same time, the investigation is also focusing on the financial situation of the 54-year-old Wing Commander, who had recently served in Cyprus—a key detail also with regard to any contacts with intermediaries prior to the direct approach by the Chinese handler. This is also because the earnings of officers serving in Cyprus are significantly higher than those in Greece, to which they usually return having accumulated surplus savings. In this context, the investigation is examining the arrested spy’s financial standing, as he is alleged to have been supplied by the handler with an illegal mobile phone and the necessary access codes to manage a digital wallet (crypto wallet), through which he would receive transfers from China.