Greece Will Launch A Parliamentary Investigation Into The Espionage Scandal Hellas

An investigation proposed by the center-left Pasok party was backed by the entire political opposition late Monday after revelations that the group’s leader, Nikos Androulakis, had been put under surveillance while serving as an MEP. “It is necessary more than ever to investigate these cases,” Pasok MP Haris Kastanidis told the Chamber, saying that the investigation should not be limited to Androulakis. Allegations of wiretapping by the communist party KKE as well as wiretapping of journalists should also be addressed, he said. The centre-right government has faced accusations of a cover-up from liberal and left-wing MEPs, who are pushing for a fact-finding mission to be sent to Greece. MPs from the ruling New Democracy party abstained from Monday’s vote, although they made it clear that they too supported the investigation in the name of reforming Greece’s intelligence agency, the EYP. The wiretapping revelations have been described as “probably the tip of the iceberg” by Sophie in ‘t Veld, a Dutch political leader of the European Parliament’s PEGA committee which looks into the use of malicious spyware across the continent. “The Greek authorities, on the one hand, claim that they are innocent, so they have nothing to hide, and on the other hand, they are very reluctant to shed light on the whole matter,” he said. “And so far all their moves in the last year have been to cover things up.” The Androulakis case is expected to come up on Tuesday when the 38-member PEGA panel holds the first of two hearings this week on “spyware against citizens.” Earlier this year, it emerged that the phones of financial journalist Thanasis Koukakis were being monitored with Predator spyware, made by Cytrox, a surveillance start-up based in North Macedonia. The malware, which has the ability to read encrypted data and turn a mobile phone into a listening device, was also deployed against Androulakis, but the hack attempt failed because the politician failed to activate the necessary clickbait. The software was discovered when the MEP, who was subsequently targeted by the European Parliament, sent his mobile phone to the European Parliament’s cyber security department for a routine check. The scandal threatens political turmoil ahead of next year’s election, amid calls by former prime minister and main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras for the prime minister to resign. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, 54, who has vowed to finish his four-year term, citing the need for stability at a time of global uncertainty and rising tensions with Turkey, said he was unaware of the wiretapping operation. “I looked the Greek people in the eye and I have assured them that I knew absolutely nothing. It’s my word against yours,” he said, turning to Tsipras during a heated debate in Athens’ 300-seat parliament on Friday. Mitsotakis admitted from the beginning that the monitoring of his political opponent was a mistake. In a surprise move, his office announced the resignations on August 7 of Greece’s spy chief, Panagiotis Kontoleon – going so far as to publicly chastise the intelligence agency for “wrongdoing” – and Grigoris Dimitriadis, the chief’s nephew and powerful chief of staff. Mitsotakis has also suggested that the revelations are the result of “dark forces” bent on destabilizing Greece. With rising energy costs and economic concerns high on the agenda, officials insist the revelations have done little to dent the administration’s popularity. A report issued by Google’s threat analysis team in May said the product was being used by “government-sponsored actors” in several states, including Greece. Mitsotakis has rejected any suggestion that Predator is being used by Greek authorities, although the software is known to be packaged by Intellexa, a company based in Athens and registered in Cyprus. In one of his first moves after taking power in July 2019, Mitsotakis placed the EYP under the auspices of the prime minister’s office and not the interior ministry, as was the case in the past. The direct line of communication also played a role in the criticism leveled against the leader. Surveillance is by no means a new feature of the Greek state, where memories of such practices during the military dictatorship of 1967-74 have not yet faded in the older generation. Wiretapping also increased under Tsipras, with the government at the time taking the step of reducing the number of prosecutors required to approve licenses. Addressing Parliament on behalf of the ruling New Democracy (ND) party on Monday, MP Dimitris Keridis said the investigation should also include the period when Syriza was in power. The committee, which will meet behind closed doors, is dominated by ND MPs. The number of wiretapping of citizens for “national security” reasons has reportedly skyrocketed since Mitsotakis took office. The independent telecoms watchdog, ADAE, has reported 15,000 wiretapping requests made last year alone. “There will certainly be more revelations to come,” said Stelios Koulouglou, a Syriza MEP who is also a member of the PEGA committee. “What is happening in Greece reminds me of the tactics followed by the Stasi in East Germany. Mitsotakis’ goal was absolute control and sub [his purview] surveillance expanded and became highly systematic.”

title: “Greece Will Launch A Parliamentary Investigation Into The Espionage Scandal Hellas Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-03” author: “Max Jackson”

title: “Greece Will Launch A Parliamentary Investigation Into The Espionage Scandal Hellas Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-03” author: “Jeffry Cameron”

title: “Greece Will Launch A Parliamentary Investigation Into The Espionage Scandal Hellas Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-25” author: “Marshall Reed”