It has become known as Greece's Watergate: spyware software and Greek intelligence targeted the mobile phones of government ministers, senior military officers, judges, and journalists. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called it a scandal, but no government officials have been charged in court, and critics accuse the government of trying to cover up the truth.
Instead, a low-ranking judge will on Wednesday hear the case against two Israelis and two Greeks, allegedly involved with marketing spy software known as Predator.
In the summer of 2022, the current head of socialist party Pasok, Nikos Androulakis - then an MEP - was informed by the EU Parliament's IT experts that he had received a malicious text message from an unknown sender, containing spy software. This Predator spyware, which is marketed by the Athens-based Israeli company Intellexa, can get access to a device's messages, camera, and microphone – turning a person's phone against them.
Things escalated after Androulakis also discovered that he had been tracked for national security reasons by Greece's National Intelligence Service (EYP). Just a month after taking office in the summer of 2019, PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis had placed EYP directly under his supervision. His conservative government was suddenly at the heart of the crisis, resulting in the resignation of the head of EYP and the prime minister's top aide.
Predator had been used to entrap at least 87 people, according to the Hellenic Data Protection Authority. Despite the government's insistence that all instances of overlap were coincidental, critics are unconvinced. In July 2024, a report by the Greek Supreme Court concluded there was clearly no connection between Predator and government officials.
In response to the scandal, the Greek government initially imposed new laws on communications confidentiality and oversight but has been criticized for failing to pursue deeper investigations into who spied on its own officials. This has raised serious concerns regarding the balance of power and the protection of constitutional rights in the country.
Instead, a low-ranking judge will on Wednesday hear the case against two Israelis and two Greeks, allegedly involved with marketing spy software known as Predator.
In the summer of 2022, the current head of socialist party Pasok, Nikos Androulakis - then an MEP - was informed by the EU Parliament's IT experts that he had received a malicious text message from an unknown sender, containing spy software. This Predator spyware, which is marketed by the Athens-based Israeli company Intellexa, can get access to a device's messages, camera, and microphone – turning a person's phone against them.
Things escalated after Androulakis also discovered that he had been tracked for national security reasons by Greece's National Intelligence Service (EYP). Just a month after taking office in the summer of 2019, PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis had placed EYP directly under his supervision. His conservative government was suddenly at the heart of the crisis, resulting in the resignation of the head of EYP and the prime minister's top aide.
Predator had been used to entrap at least 87 people, according to the Hellenic Data Protection Authority. Despite the government's insistence that all instances of overlap were coincidental, critics are unconvinced. In July 2024, a report by the Greek Supreme Court concluded there was clearly no connection between Predator and government officials.
In response to the scandal, the Greek government initially imposed new laws on communications confidentiality and oversight but has been criticized for failing to pursue deeper investigations into who spied on its own officials. This has raised serious concerns regarding the balance of power and the protection of constitutional rights in the country.
