PM’s former general secretary testifies over wiretapping scandal
Grigoris Dimitriadis, former general secretary and nephew of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in charge of Greece’s secret service testified for two hours before a Supreme Court prosecutor on Tuesday over an eavesdropping scandal targeting politicians, businessmen and media figures.
Dimitriadis, previously a key figure at Maximos Mansion, the seat of the prime minister, faces scrutiny over his alleged role in the espionage scandal – dubbed “Predatorgate” – which became public in the summer of 2022 when journalist Thanasis Koukakis revealed that his phone had been intercepted with the use of malicious spyware Predator and by Greece’s National Intelligence Service (EYP). Since then, it has been revealed that targets included PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis. The government has denied using the illegal spyware.
Dimitriadis resigned in August 2022, along with the then head of Greece’s National Intelligence Service (EYP), when the scandal broke.
Supreme Court Deputy prosecutor Achilleas Zisis is gathering testimony to finalize his investigation by the end of the summer and compile a report for Supreme Court Prosecutor Georgia Adilini, who is expected to decide on whether to file charges against specific individuals.
Investigations by the privacy watchdog ADAE, the Data Protection Authority (DPA) and reports in the investigative press revealed that Predator had been planted on the phones of an ever-expanding network of politicians and journalists, company executives and other prominent individuals. In July 2023, DPA revealed that 92 people have been targeted by Predator. A request by two prosecutors to check whether those 92 individuals had also been surveilled by EYP, which would confirm or disprove the allegations of the existence of a “single center” that tracked people simultaneously, remains pending.
