(Athens) “Institutional crisis”, “weakening of the rule of law”: the scandal of illegal telephone tapping which has shaken Greece since the summer is alarming officials, politicians and experts who are worried about the excesses of the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Posted at 11:13 p.m.
The wiretapping by the intelligence services (EYP) of Nikos Androulakis, MEP and leader of the socialist party Kinal-Pasok, and the attempt to infect his mobile phone with the spyware Predator dealt a major blow to the Prime Minister conservative.
The affair, which arises nine months before the next legislative elections, has pushed the head of intelligence and a close adviser to the prime minister – who is also his nephew – out the door. It also poisoned the political climate a little more.
This state scandal, dubbed “Greek Watergate” by the media, “is not only one of the worst violations of privacy, but affects democracy and the rule of law”, assures MEP Sophie in’t Veld, which took up the case within the European Parliament’s Malware Inquiry Committee (PEGA).
“Wrong Path”
“Greece is not in the same phase as Hungary”, but “it must not take the wrong path, we must curb this trend”, also warns the Dutch elected official in an interview with AFP.
Hungary, but also Poland are criticized for the deterioration of the rule of law and pluralism, and have experienced similar cases of hacking of phones by spyware.
Wiretapping an opposition leader is “a way to skew the political game, (to strike) a blow at democracy and rights”, abounds Lina Papadopoulou, professor of constitutional law at the University of Thessaloniki.
This “can negatively influence the vote of citizens”, she also believes.
These revelations are part of an already charged context: two journalists working on sensitive subjects in Greece, corruption and migration, have also been the subject of surveillance.
The Greek executive is also implicated for illegal and violent refoulements of migrants at the border with Turkey, which he denies. All against a background of weakening freedom of the press.
Athens insists that “the rule of law and democratic institutions” are respected. “The Greek state did not buy or use malicious software”, assures Kyriakos Mitsotakis while acknowledging “an error” from the EYP.
Given the scale of the scandal, a special parliamentary commission of inquiry was set up. But some denounce a hindered investigation which did not make it possible to provide real answers.
Heard by this commission, Nikos Androulakis scolded the deputies of New Democracy (ND), the party of Mr. Mitsotakis.
“Instead of seizing the opportunity and protecting our democracy, you let those responsible for this unhealthy affair get away unscathed and unchecked,” he denounced.
“Institutional Crisis”
He also accused this commission of not having summoned the officials of the Intellexa company which, according to the media, markets malicious software in Greece and which the conservative majority is trying to cover up the scandal.
This case “shows an institutional crisis”, according to him. “This is an unprecedented event in Greece in recent years,” he also insisted during a meeting of the PEGA committee on Thursday.
In Europe, “democracy and tolerance are ebbing”, according to the Greek elected representative, who denounced certain leaders “who want to do everything to keep power”.
MEP Sophie in’t Veld also said she was “surprised that the investigation into Intellexa has been extremely superficial so far”.
The left-wing opposition continues to demand the resignation of Mr. Mitsotakis, because it considers him to be “politically responsible for the scandal”.
Intelligence was placed under the direct authority of the Prime Minister upon his arrival in power in July 2019.
Dozens of academics, journalists, but also ordinary citizens have also deplored in a petition, entitled “Zero Democracy”, that these illegal wiretaps marked the “culmination of the weakening of the rule of law in Greece”. .