Former Greek premier says full extent of surveillance scandal should be revealed immediately

ANKARA

The full extent of a surveillance scandal that has rocked Greece’s political scene should be revealed immediately, a former Greek premier said, according to media reports.

“It is imperative to clarify who and with what justification requested such a thing and who and how approved it,” Kostas Karamanlis said late Wednesday during an event by the ruling Nea Dimoktaria (ND) party in Crete, according to the Avgi newspaper.

Maintaining that clarity and transparency are two main pillars of a lawful and stable public life, Karamanlis said the monitoring of opposition PASOK-KINAL’s leader Nikos Androulakis should not be left in dark.

Proper and credible investigation into the scandal is also important to prevent further damage to state institutions, including the National Intelligence Services (EYP), he said.

But government spokesperson Yiannis Oikonomou rejected the different positions on the scandal by the former and present prime ministers, both from the ND party.

“There was no criticism of the prime minister and no edge against the government in the remarks the former prime minister made yesterday,” he said Thursday.

Meanwhile, nine people, including former heads of EYP, have been invited to closed-door hearings in parliament regarding to the scandal, state-run news agency AMNA reported.

The hearings, however, were leaked to news outlets while the hearings were underway.

Yannis Roubatis, former head of EYP (2015-2019), rejected allegations in government circles that Mitsotakis and his family were monitored by his agency during the SYRIZA-PS government, according to Avgi.

The Greek Communist Party (KKE) was not monitored during my term, he added.

The previous chief of the EYP Panagiotis Kontoleon and Prime Minister's Secretary General and nephew Grigoris Dimitriadis, invoking confidentiality, refused to confirm or reject when they were asked whether other politicians, apart from Androulakis, were also monitored, the daily stressed.

However, the head of the Hellenic Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (ADAE) Christos Rammos said confidentiality cannot be invoked before parliament.

Surveillance scandal

In an Aug. 8 address to the nation, Mitsotakis acknowledged that Androulakis 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 resignations of Kontoleon and Dimitriadis on Aug. 5.

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

A parliamentary probe was launched after Androulakis complained to top prosecutors about an attempt to hack his mobile phone with Israeli-made Predator surveillance software.

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.