The applicant, Lampros Papadakis, is a Greek national who was born in 1959 and lives in Thessaloniki (Greece). In September 2006 he was found guilty of drug trafficking, sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment and had his car, several mobile phones and SIM cards confiscated. His appeal was ultimately rejected by the Supreme Court in April 2007. Relying on Article 6 §§ 1 and 3 (d) (right to a fair trial/right to obtain attendance and examination of witnesses) of the European Convention on Human Rights, Mr Papadakis makes a number of complaints about the unfairness of the criminal proceedings against him, and in particular that his conviction was based on evidence obtained using secret surveillance and undercover agents. He notably alleges that he (or his lawyer) was not allowed to confront and question in court one of the agents, who was involved as an agent provocateur in the undercover drug deal operation leading to his conviction and who was the main witness in the trial against him in June 2006. Further relying on Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (protection of property), he also complains that he was ordered by the national courts to reimburse the storage costs for his car that had been seized.
(from the official press-release prepared by the Registry Office of the European Court of Human Rights)