Closed-door intelligence meeting on PASOK leader’s phone-tapping charges concludes in Parliament

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A closed-door session held with Greek intelligence and communication security officials at the parliament’s Special Permanent Committee on Institutions & Transparency was held on Friday about phone-tapping allegations made by PASOK-KINAL party leader Nikos Androulakis.

The meeting discussed a complaint filed by Androulakis with the Supreme Court Prosecutor earlier in the week, alleging an attempt to tap his mobile phone using illegal surveillance spyware. It was held at the initiative of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who on Thursday called on Parliament President Constantine Tassoulas to assemble the special committee.

It was attended by National Intelligence Service (EYP) Commander Panagiotis Kontoleon, Hellenic Authority for Communication Security & Privacy (ADAE) President Christos Rammos, State Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, and Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis, besides MP members of the committee.

The Greek government has never procured illegal surveillance software, and there is no such contract, either directly or indirectly, Gerapetritis was reported to have said.

Furthermore, he added that Greece has one of the strictest frameworks for legally approved computer and mobile phone intrusions, but in line with practices in other countries, legally approved intrusions are not disclosed for reasons of national security.

Responding to a question from Pasok-Kinal MP Charis Kastanidis about whether EYP is in contract with an Athens-based company that specializes in wireless radio communications and intelligence by the name of “Krikel”, Gerapetritis stated that this company did not sign anything with the current government, but Krikel did so in 2018 with then SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance government.

Following the meeting, Syriza MP Giorgos Katrougalos told the press that “we believe there was an attempt at a cover-up, since they [the government] denied any responsibility in relation to the complaints. On the contrary, the data available to us show there are clear indications of use of illegal software.” He cited as evidence three reports in December 2021 that “point to intrusion by government-endorsed agencies – not private individuals – using the Predator software.”

Therefore, he said, “political responsibility rests with the prime minister, who chose to completely control EYP by subordinating it to his own office by amending the relevant legislative framework.”

In an statement issued earlier on Friday, Pasok-Kinal said that it took the government two days since Androulakis filed his complaint “to overcome its embarrassment in the face of the extremely serious finding by the special service of the European Parliament, that among more than 200 MEPs, the only one whose mobile phone was intercepted was the one belonging to Nikos Androulakis.” The party charged the government with “systematically trying to downgrade the case, and mislead public opinion.”

Pasok-Kinal then called on the government and justice to investigate which individuals and companies are involved in the use of the Predator spyware in Greece. “Revealing the truth is a matter of democracy, and Pasok-Kinal will spare no resources” to get to it, it concluded.

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