Greece urged to deepen probe into phone surveillance scandal

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A European parliamentary committee investigating the use of spyware in the 27-nation bloc on Friday urged Greek officials to do more to shed light on a phone surveillance scandal which targeted opposition politicians and journalists.

“We have learned a lot, but we also believe that many of our questions remain unanswered,” said committee chairman Jeroen Lenaers, after an information visit to Greece and Cyprus, a member of the European Union.

And the commission's rapporteur, Sophie in 't Veld, said no definitive evidence has emerged about who installed and used the Predator spyware on the phones of Greek victims, and why , "everything is pointing in the direction of people in government circles.

The scandal, which rocked Greece's center-right government this year, centered on the tapping of the party leader's phone Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he was unaware of the operation, which he said was legal - for national security reasons - The leader of the EYP and a close associate of Mitsotakis have resigned.

In addition to the EYP, Androulakis, leader of the left-wing PASOK party - the third in Greece - has been separately targeted by the Predator spyware, as well as another opposition MP and three journalists. use Predator, which allows you to monitor calls, messages, photos or videos on a phone.

Last month, a Greek parliamentary committee investigated the surveillance of Androulakis, but its overall findings remain confidential.

Lenaers, a Dutch EU lawmaker, said the investigation by the Greek parliament "(revealed) few facts and did not hear all the relevant witnesses."

"The committee's final report should be made public", he said. he said at a press conference.

In 't Veld said his committee had not found definitive evidence of who used Predator and why.

"And we won't find that evidence until the authorities are willing to share official information with us," she said, but added, "Everything points in the direction of the people in government circles.”

In 't Veld also accused Greek authorities of making little effort to investigate the use of the spyware.

“ On the contrary, most relevant information has been classified,” she said. "This issue needs to be urgently and fully clarified ahead of" Greece's upcoming parliamentary elections in mid-2023.

She also urged Athens to seek help from European police agency Europol. ..