European deputy voices concern over state of rule of law in Greece

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - A member of the European Parliament (EP) voiced concern about the state of rule of law in Greece, media reports said Saturday.

Referring to the Greek Supreme Court prosecutor’s recent legal opinion which said the Independent Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (ADAE) has no power to inform citizens whether their communications have been intercepted or monitored for reasons related to national security, Saskia Bricmon said: “There are countries which are now heading towards authoritarianism and maybe Greece is one of them,” according to Greek Naftemboriki daily.

Regarding the EP’s investigative committee PEGA's findings, he stressed that four EU members -- Poland, Hungary, Greece and Spain -- are subjected to particular focus.

Those countries should answer when asked if they used spyware, said Bricmont. "There needs to be a clearer definition of ‘national security’ and ban the use of surveillance software in professions such as lawyers and journalists, professions that need to be protected, with sensitive data. Such use will be possible in very strict and extremely special conditions and only if all conditions are met."

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-Surveillance scandal

The ever-expanding scandal exploded in Greece last summer when Thanasis Koukakis, a well-known financial journalist, reported that his mobile phone had been tapped with Israeli-made Predator spyware.

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

On Aug. 4, Panagiotis Kontoleon, who then headed Greece’s National Intelligence Service (EYP), admitted before a committee of lawmakers 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 top aide and nephew, Grigoris Dimitriadis.

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

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.

A later report by the daily claimed 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 Theodoros Lagios.

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

The European Commission and European Parliament have also said they were closely monitoring developments related to the scandal.