UPDATE - Evidence shows government cooperated with ’very shady’ people: Monitored Greek journalist

REPLACES KOUKAKIS' REMARKS WITH ONES DURING Q&A SECTION; REVISES STORY; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - Evidence shows that the government in Greece cooperated with “very shady” people, one of the two Greek journalists monitored by the country’s intelligence service said Thursday.

The remarks by Thanasis Koukakis was in response to a question by a EU parliament inquiry commission as to why the facilities of Intellexa, an Israeli company marketing the notorious Predator and Pegasus spyware software, were not searched by Greek authorities after he previously testified to a European Parliament’s committee on the surveillance scandal.

“The ongoing journalistic investigation in Greece brings to light evidence that the (Prime Minister Kyriakos) Mitsotakis government has cooperated with people who are very shady. These persons are also involved in the procurement of surveillance systems used by the National Intelligence Service (EYP) through Intellexa,” he said.

Specifically, investigations by Inside Story and Reporters United revealed that the resigned Prime Minister's Secretary General Grigoris Dimitriadis was involved in business transactions with the former representative of Intellexa in Greece, according to Koukakis.

“What is being described as a surveillance scandal in Greece is yet another indication of how much the rule of law is being violated in my country,” he added.

He said the EU should consider suspending the Recovery Fund for Greece as a basic condition for the disbursement of Recovery Fund resources to respect the rule of law.

Koukakis argued that the “national security” rationale is misused by Greek authorities to silence opposition and monitor tens of thousands of people without having to explain.

He added that he is sure more cases of surveillance will soon be revealed.

Another journalist, Stavros Malihoudis, emphasized that the reason behind his surveillance was his coverage of refugee-related issues, including illegal pushback practices by Greek elements in the Aegean Sea.

He said through his surveillance the EYP also wanted to reach dozens of other journalists.

- Surveillance scandal

In an Aug. 8 address to the nation, Mitsotakis acknowledged that Nikos Androulakis, leader of the opposition PASOK party, was wiretapped by the intel agency but denied knowledge of the operation.

"It was formally OK but politically unacceptable," he said.

The announcement followed the resignation of EYP head Panagiotis Kontoleon and Dimitriadis on Aug. 5.

The scandal unfolded Aug. 4 when Kontoleon told a parliamentary committee that his agency had been spying on Koukakis, a financial journalist.

A parliamentary probe was launched after Androulakis complained to top prosecutors about an attempt to hack his mobile phone with the Predator spyware.

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 closely monitoring developments related to the scandal.