Greek watchdog to probe telecom companies over surveillance scandal: Report

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) – Greece’s communications privacy watchdog will scrutinize records of telecom companies in connection with the illegal surveillance scandal rattling the country since last August, local media reported on Wednesday.

The Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (ADAE) will check records of telecom providers for surveillance requests from Greek intelligence agencies, according to a report by daily Avgi.

Under a decision taken by the ADAE on Dec. 21, any telecom provider in any region of Greece can face inspections as part of the watchdog’s probe, the report said.

The ADAE will also formally ask Alexis Tsipras, former prime minister and leader of the opposition Syriza party, to share the specific phone numbers that he wants to be checked for possible surveillance, the report added.

- Surveillance scandal

The ever-expanding scandal exploded into the Greek public realm last summer, when Thanasis Koukakis, a well-known financial journalist in Greece, reported that his mobile phone was tapped with the Israeli-made Predator spyware.

Things escalated after Nikos Androulakis, leader of the PASOK-KINAL opposition party and a member of the European Parliament, also revealed that he was targeted with the Predator spyware, leading to the launch of a parliamentary probe.

On Aug. 4, Panagiotis Kontoleon, then-head of the National Intelligence Service (EYP), admitted before a parliamentary committee that the agency was spying on Koukakis.

Days later, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis disclosed that Androulakis was also wiretapped, but denied any knowledge of the operation.

Mitsotakis was left with no option but to force Kontoleon to resign, as well as his own nephew and top aide Grigoris Dimitriadis.

On Nov. 6, Greek publication Documento published a list of 33 people who were allegedly spied on by the EYP on Dimitriadis’ direct orders.

They included Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, Deputy Defense Minister Nikolaos Chardalias, Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis, Labor Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras, former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, former Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis, and former National Security Adviser Alexandros Diakopoulos.

The same daily alleged on Dec. 3 that the EYP, which works directly under Mitsotakis, also wiretapped Chief of General Staff Konstantinos Floros, Chief of Land Forces Charalambos Lalousis, and General Director of Defense Investments and Armaments Thodoris Lagios.

Opposition parties blame Mitsotakis for the scandal and have called for his government to hold snap elections, something he rejects.

The European Commission and European Parliament are also closely monitoring developments related to the scandal.​​​​​​​