Nikoletta Karaliota

Dr. Nikoletta Karaliota holds a PhD in Law from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh). Her doctoral dissertation, titled “Confiscation in criminal law and the contemporary broadening of its scope”, was unanimously graded “Excellent” in 2023. She was awarded a scholarship for her doctoral studies by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT) and the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI). She holds a Master’s Degree in Criminal Law and Criminology from AUTh, for which she received a scholarship by the State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) (2015, “Excellent” – 9.67/10), as well as a Law Degree from the same institution (2010, “Very Good” – 8.24/10 – 1st in graduation cohort). She has been an affiliated member of the Research Institute for Transparency, Corruption and Financial Crime – Law School AUTh since its establishment in 2016 and a member of the Greek Society of Criminal Law since 2019. She is also actively involved in training programmes and academic conferences. Since 2024, she has taken on the administrative and academic support for the Inter-University Graduate Programme in “Financial Criminal Law” at the Faculties of Law of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Democritus University of Thrace.

Research Interests

• Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedural Law
• Confiscation
• Asset Recovery
• Financial Crime
• Artificial Intelligence and Criminal Law
• Terrorist Offences
• Terrorism Financing

Research Grants/Activities

12.2023-2.2024/9.2022-2.2023
Researcher at the Research Institute for Transparency, Corruption and Financial Crime – Law School AUTh

6.2018-12.2019
Principal Investigator at the Research project: “Modern developments in the criminal law approach to terrorism in the EU and Greece: the new EU Directive and the complementary mechanism for the regulation of terrorism financing as challenges for our national law-security and liberty in crisis”, European Union (European Social Fund) and Greek national funds, by the Operational Program “Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning 2014-2020”, under the call for proposals ‘Supporting researchers with emphasis on new researchers’ (EDULLL 34) [Scientific Coordinator: Prof. M. Kaiafa-Gbandi, other members of the research team: E. Kompatisiari/Ch. Lampakis]

2.2013-9.2015
Researcher-postgraduate student at the Research project “A cohesive model to counter financial crime and corruption in the public sector in Greece”; “Excellence” (Aristeia) initiative, Scientific Coordinator: Prof. M. Kaiafa-Gbandi, Co-funded by the Greek State and the European Social Fund, under the auspices of the operational program “Education and Lifelong Learning” / NSRF 2007-2013

9.2012-11.2012
Three-month employment in research activities at the Library of the Faculty of Law, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, within the framework of the University’s Graduate Student Fellowship Programme

• Karaliota N., Confiscation in criminal law: Contemporary aspects of its expansion, Nomiki Vivliothiki, Athens 2025 [in Greek]
• Karaliota N., Directive (EU) 2024/1260 on asset recovery and confiscation: A critical presentation of the main changes in the field of asset recovery and confiscation, Poiniki Dikaiosyni  8-9/2024, 907-919 [in Greek]
• Karaliota N., Confiscation and the Presumption of Innocence: Key Issues in ECtHR Case-law Considering the Contemporary Broadening of Confiscation’s Scope, European Criminal Law Review 14(1), 57 – 77 (2024) DOI:  doi.org/10.5771/2193-5505-2024-1-57
• Karaliota N., Kompatsiari E., Lampakis C., & Kaiafa-Gbandi, M. (2020). The New EU Counter-Terrorism Offences and the Complementary Mechanism of Controlling Terrorist Financing as Challenges for the Rule of Law. Brill Research Perspectives in Transnational Crime, 3(1), 1-80. https://doi.org/10.1163/24680931-12340011

Presentations at Conferences

• “Confiscation and the Presumption of Innocence: Key Issues in ECtHR Case-law Considering the Contemporary Broadening of Confiscation’s Scope”, Summer school “Current developments on financial crime, corruption and money laundering: European and international perspectives”, Thessaloniki 3.7.2025
• “Increased control over the mobility of persons as a pre-emptive and repressive measure of criminal policy to combat terrorism in the EU: The example of punishing travelling for the purpose of terrorism and the relevant preventive control framework”, Karaliota N., Kompatisari E. & Lampakis Chr., IV CINETS Conference 2018: Mobility and Security in an Era of Globalization Crimmigration at a Crossroads?, 5-6.10.2018,  Queen Mary University, London, United Kingdom
• “Confiscation under Greek law: An overview of the substantive criminal law provisions”, Confiscation of Criminal Assets: European and National Perspectives, Conference under the Research Programme “Improving Cooperation between EU Member States in Confiscation Procedures”, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, 28.6.2018