Greek lawmakers debate wiretapping scandal

Greek lawmakers are discussing a wiretapping scandal that has roiled the government ahead of elections due to be held next year, in a parliamentary session called following revelations that the intelligence service had bugged an opposition politician’s phone.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was to open Thursday’s session on what the government has called the “legal surveillance” of the mobile phone of Nikos Androulakis, head of the opposition socialist PASOK party, for three months last year when he had been running for the party leadership.

The session was called by the main opposition SYRIZA party to discuss the wiretapping of politicians and journalists.

Mitsotakis said earlier this month that he had been unaware the National Intelligence Service, known by its Greek acronym EYP, had been tapping Androulakis’ phone, and that he would not have allowed it had he known. The intelligence service reports directly to Mitsotakis’ office, a change he brought about himself after winning elections in 2019.

The scandal has already led to the resignation of the head of EYP, Panagiotis Kontoleon, and the general secretary of the prime minister’s office, Grigoris Dimitriadis.

The government has insisted the wiretap of Androulakis from September 2021 for three months was legal, but has not stated the reasons, citing national security. It was uncovered after Androulakis, who is a European Parliament member, was informed by the European Parliament’s cybersecurity service that had had been the target of a bugging attempt by Predator spyware.

In April, Greek financial journalist Thanassis Koukakis said he had been notified by digital rights group Citizen Lab that his phone had been the target of surveillance by Predator software from July to September 2021.

The government insists it has not used Predator, but has admitted Androulakis’ phone was separately under surveillance by the intelligence service.

Androulakis filed a complaint with prosecutors at Greece’s Supreme Court on July 26 over the Predator spyware, and has demanded to know the reasons for the intelligence service surveillance.

Mitsotakis has said the “legal surveillance” of the politician was inappropriate, noting that the head of EYP “was removed immediately” and his own office’s general secretary “assumed the objective political responsibility” by resigning.

“What happened might have been in accordance with the letter of the law, but it was wrong,” Mitsotakis said earlier this month. “I didn’t know about it and obviously, I would never have allowed it.”

Mitsotakis has said the government will propose changes to how EYP operates, including increasing its accountability and parliamentary supervision, and making internal changes to bolster transparency, personnel training and internal controls. [AP]