Wiretapping claims heading for House scrutiny

Greek Parliament is on track to set up a committee of inquiry into the phone-tapping case that has caused political shockwaves and put pressure on the country’s conservative government. 

The decision by Parliament on the request submitted by center-left PASOK and supported by the main opposition SYRIZA party, will be taken at a special plenary session on August 29. 

Socialist PASOK formally submitted the request on Monday after it was revealed that an attempt was made to bug the phone of its leader, Nikos Androulakis, also a lawmaker at European Parliament, by order of the National Intelligence Service (EYP) which reports directly to the prime minister’s office. 

Androulakis had earlier revealed he had been informed by the European Parliament of an attempt to bug his mobile phone with Predator malware.

In a letter to House speaker Kostas Tasoulas on Monday, PASOK said that such practices “amount to a violation of fundamental principles and institutions of [democracy] as they impinge, to say the least, on the right to free and equal elections, as well as on the principle of party pluralism.” 

The opposition appears to have comfortably secured the minimum 120 votes required under the constitution for the committee’s creation, while ruling New Democracy is calling for an extension of the investigation.

The vote will be preceded on Friday by a debate on the issue by party leaders.

Parliament’s Committee on Institutions and Transparency will also convene this Wednesday to discuss the appointment of the new chief of EYP, Themistoklis Demiris. 

The scandal prompted the resignations of the former head of EYP, Panagiotis Kontoleon, and of a top aide to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, his secretary-general Grigoris Dimitriadis.

Both PASOK and SYRIZA have leveled attacks against Mitstotakis alleging he was aware of the wiretapping attempt. More specifically, ​​​​​​SYRIZA accused the prime minister of “both knowing about the phone-tapping and coordinating it.”

PASOK also accused the government of attempting to cover up the phone-tapping allegations from its leader, despite the fact they were confirmed by the European Parliament.