Sunday newspaper Documento and its publisher Kostas Vaxevanis shake the political landscape in Greece, when they published a list of some 33 people whose mobile phones have been allegedly found to have trace of illegal spyware Predator.
From a partial list as seen on the news paper’s front page, the list includes as least six ministers in the cabinet of ruling conservative New Democracy government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, ex ministers and a former ND Prime Minister, high-ranking government officials, two former SYRIZA ministers, several journalists, businessmen as well as a football club chief.
What is interesting is that the bugging list includes also the spouses of ministers of Tourism, Development and Labor.
Documento makes it clear who it things is responsible for the surveillance: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself. “Those spied upon by the Mitsotakis system,” it says.
In another article on the newspaper website, Documento recalls that the National Intelligence Service EYP came under the PM’s orders following a law passed by Mitsotakis, who also later legislated that citizens were forbidden to be informed about their possible surveillance.
Vaxevanis says he has asked for an appointment with the Supreme Court’s chief prosecutor on Monday.
“It is not clear whether all the people allegedly targeted have indeed clicked on the malicious link, effectively having their devices to be eventually infected,” notes politico.eu.
Most of the officials contacted by the newspaper said they were not aware that they were targeted or wouldn’t comment.
Among the people on the list reportedly are: Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras, Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis, Tourism(ex Health) and Labor minister, Vassilis Kikilias and Kostis Hatzidakis, ex Citizen protection Minister Michalis Chrysohoidis and ex Civil protection Chief Nikos Hardalias.
Former ND PM Antonis Samaras
Former SYRIZA ministers Olga Gerovassili and Christos Spirtzis.
Already known targets of the malicious spyware: PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis and journalist Thanasis Koukakis.
The list includes also: Alexis Papachelas, executive editor of Kathimerini, the publisher of conservative daily “parapolitika” Giannis Kourtakis and journalist Antonis Delatolas, the CEO of Star TV.
In a statement late Saturday evening, government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said the report is “overwhelming in narratives while the evidence is absent.
He added, however, that the report “needs to be thoroughly investigated by the authorities and especially by the Greek Justice, even though there is no documentation of the publication.”
“It is unthinkable and dangerous to suggest that the prime minister was tapping the foreign minister,” an official close to the Foreign Minister has told media. The official added that Greece is constantly taking measures to secure the communications of the foreign minister, as many inside and outside of Greece would like to hear the conversations.
So far, the Foreign Minister was the first to comment on the revelations.
- Why these people were under surveillance and how they commented to revelation, read tovima.gr in Greek.
The surveillance scandal started to unfold in the summer when Androulakis discovered an attempted Predator wiretap on his phone and filed a complain in late July.
In August, the government of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledged Androulakis had been under state surveillance (though not with Predator) — a move he called legal but wrong, recalls politico.eu.
The government narrative claimed Androulakis’ surveillance was an issue of “national security.”
When the scandal broke out, the PM removed his close associate and nephew from his office.
During the visit by PEGA, the European Parliament Committee investigating illegal surveillance in Athens on Nov 3-4, the MEPs held talks with high ranking officials. However, PEGA members could not make a clue as they were told by the officials that they were bound to “confidentiality.”
Politico.eu recalls that a report in the Greek newspaper “Ta Nea” last weekend said that two ministers of the conservative government have been under surveillance “who seem to have had less-than-good relations with the prime minister’s associates.”
Next to internaional media politioc.eu, also French state news agency AFP has reported about the new development of the surveillance scandal late on Saturday.
