MPs vote to establish committee of inquiry into wiretapping
MPs have voted to set up a committee of inquiry into the wiretapping of the mobile phone of PASOK-Movement for Change leader Nikos Androulakis.
The motion to establish the inquiry received the backing of 142 of the 299 lawmakers present for the vote, held on Monday evening.
All ruling New Democracy government’s 157 MPs essentially abstained by voting “present”. The party earlier said it was not opposed to the proposal but wanted the investigation to be extended further back in time, in order to gain a fuller picture, as also requested by the Communist Party.
Following the vote, Parliamentary Speaker Kostas Tasoulas announced that 29 MPs will participate in the committee, in proportion to the parliamentary strength of the parties. Fifteen members will come from New Democracy, 8 from SYRIZA, 2 from PASOK-Movement of Change, 1 from the Communist Party, 1 from Greek Solution, 1 from MeRA25 and 1 from the group of independent MPs.
Tasoulas also set a deadline of one month for the completion of the committee’s work and the submission of its report. However, the committee of inquiry can request an extension from Parliament.
Under parliamentary rules, committees of inquiry require the support of the absolute majority of MPs present, which must not be less than 120 lawmakers.
Parliament returned early from its summer break for the debate, called by the main opposition SYRIZA party after revelations that Androulakis, a European Parliament member and head of the country’s third-largest political party, was put under surveillance for three months last year when he was running for his PASOK party’s leadership. A financial journalist also was under surveillance.
The scandal has already led to the resignation of the head of the National Intelligence Service and the general secretary of the prime minister’s office.
The three-month wiretap of Androulakis’ phone from September 2021 was uncovered after Androulakis was informed by the European Parliament’s cybersecurity service that had had been the target of a bugging attempt by Predator spyware.
