Greece's main opposition party says surveillance scandal damaging core of country’s democracy

By Anadolu Agency Staff

ANKARA (AA) - The leader of Greece’s main opposition party said Tuesday that the wiretapping scandal is damaging the core of the country’s democracy and national security, local media reported.

Referring to the latest revelation by the Documento newspaper on Dec. 3, Alexis Tsipras said “the revelations concerning the monitoring of the leaders of the (Greek) Armed Forces take it to the next level and damage the core of our national security,” the Left.gr news outlet reported, citing his interview broadcast on regional TV channels.

Tsipras vowed to continue to strive so that “those who committed this perversion of our constitution and national security are held accountable to the Greek people."

He claimed that a new and dangerous chapter had been opened with the latest round of disclosures as critical data containing conversations of major politicians and senior soldiers is in the hands of “some people.”

This is a time bomb that can undermine Greece’s democracy and national security, Tsipras warned.

In a related development, according to the Avgi daily, the leader of the socialist opposition PASOK party, Nikos Androulakis, whose surveillance triggered the scandal in late July when it became known, appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over the matter.

By doing so, he seeks the implementation of stricter rules both in Greece and in Europe which will ensure for all citizens two of the most valuable assets in modern societies: privacy and freedom of communication for all, the daily noted.

-Surveillance scandal

On Aug. 8, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledged that opposition politician Nikos Androulakis was wiretapped by Greece’s intelligence agency but denied knowledge of the operation.

The scandal first emerged on Aug. 4 when Panagiotis Kontoleon, then-head of the National Intelligence Service (EYP), told a parliamentary committee that the intelligence agency had been spying on financial journalist Thanasis Koukakis.

On Aug. 5, Kontoleon, along with the general secretary of the prime minister’s office, Grigoris Dimitriadis, resigned.

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

Previously, Documento on Nov. 6 published a list of 33 people allegedly spied on by the EYP on the direct orders of Dimitriadis, including Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, Deputy Defense Minister Nikos 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 directly operates 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 have been blaming 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.