A decision by the Greek supreme court prosecutor’s office to shelve an investigation into the explosive wire-tap scandal and the possible involvement of the country’s National Intelligence Service (EYP) generated a firestorm of reaction by opposition political leaders in its wake.
In his first comment after a relevant announcement was made on Tuesday, PASOK party leader Nikos Androulakis referred to a “wire-tapping and cover-up scandal.”
Androulakis is widely considered as the most prominent individual for whom a wire-tap warrant was requested by EYP and granted by a prosecutor assigned to the latter over the past few years. His surveillance by the intelligence service was revealed in September 2021, generating a parallel furor over whether the notorious spyware Predator was also used to monitor his – and others’ – cell phone communications.
File photo: PASOK party leader Nikos Androulakis
Androulakis launched into an acerbic attack against the Mitsotakis government from Parliament’s podium on the occasion of the shelving of the high court prosecutor’s probe into the scandal.
“Our country became an export center for Predator,” Androulakis first charged, while referring to a shameful practice of exporting software while knowing that it will most likely be used to the detriment of human and civil rights, “and with the blessings of ND” – a reference to ruling New Democracy (ND) party.
Androulakis also cited what he called a veritable “machine” servicing economic interests, “it’s not just that they eavesdropped on us, they gained millions of euros in the process.” He reminded that 87 people, including ministers, businesspeople, journalists were targeted with the Predator spyware, as well as defense ministry officials.
The president of PASOK also raised a series of questions demanding answers by the government, while stressing that the investigation was sham.
“Is it normal to listen in to half the cabinet?” he asked, rhetorically, while also referring to an “unprecedented cover-up operation, whenever independent authorities came close to revelations.”
Additionally, he signaled his intent to file a new appeal with the European Court of Human Rights.
“We’ll continue our honest fight against this dark state,” he promised.
Finally, he accused the government of trying to hide the responsibilities of the Maximos Mansion (the prime minister’s office) and the so-called “deep state”, stressing “first they infected the intelligence services and now they are infecting justice”.
SYRIZA reaction
From another aisle in Parliament, the head of leftist SYRIZA party’s Parliamentary group, Socrates Famellos, referred to a “second act of covering-up” the wire-tapping scandal.
He said Tuesday’s development caused a “deep surprise” and “heightened concern” on behalf of the main opposition party (SYRIZA), as the latter believed that the justice system would shed light on the case.
“Unfortunately, this development will shatter citizens’ trust in the justice system,” he underlined, reminding that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has already apologized to Androulakis for the wire-tap against him conducted by the national intelligence service via a warrant.
“Judicial decisions are respected, but that does not mean that they’re not liable to criticism, especially when it comes to major cases that concern the core of democracy,” he said, while adding that SYRIZA will continue to scrutinize the case inside and outside Parliament.
SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis echoed the statements by his party’s Parliamentary group head, saying that “today, with the decision to shelve the EYP-Predator scandal, my trust in the Greek justice system has been seriously shaken.” He took to social media to emphasize that he’s speaking as a Greek citizen and not as the leader of the main opposition.
File photo: SYRIZA party leader Stefanos Kasselakis
“Unfortunately, this development now coincides with a widespread feeling by the Greek people that the justice system is not the last resort for those wronged. That is why one of the first proposals I have put forth to the Greek people is a radical change in the way the judiciary’s leadership is selected, so that it is freed from the suffocating embrace and dependence on a respective government,” the SYRIZA leader said.
In a press release by the SYRIZA party, it noted that the “…shelving of the wire-tap scandal also affects the country’s international image, which is under European judicial and political scrutiny for this major issue. Political parties, citizens, independent judicial officers, journalists and the media must fight to protect our democratic institutions. The wiretapping scandal – in other words, the Mitsotakis and (Grigoris) Dimitriadis scandal – will not and should not remain in shelved”.
Another sharp critique by PASOK MP
Another top PASOK deputy and cadre, Pavlos Geroulanos, also referred directly to a “cover-up” that continues to rock the political system.
“If the wiretapping was scandalous in itself, its cover-up is even more scandalous. The provocative decision to shelve the wire-tap scandal case by the Supreme Court rocks the political system, causing upheavals,” he said.
KKE
On its part, a Communist Party (KKE) press release stated that “…The Supreme Court report is what the government wanted to cover up its responsibilities, once again, to cover-up its huge responsibilities. This confirms that the ‘source’ of the problem is a deeply reactionary legal and institutional framework, which enables governments and the state to intensify mass and preventive surveillance, based on the doctrine ‘no one is exempt from surveillance’.”
The New Left party, whose members split off from SYRIZA last year, issued a statement referring to a “…a black day for democracy, the institutions of justice and the rule of law in Greece. The biggest cover-up in modern (Greek) history is also sealed with the seal of justice.” The New Left party also charged that a half century after the restoration of democracy in Greece now sees the country as an “exception to European rule. A regime given over to organized crime and the para-state.”
New Left party
New Left parliamentary group head Alexis Haritsis charged that “today is a day of shame for our country…The Supreme Court has put an end to the investigation into the responsibilities of EYP in the wire-tapping scandal.”
Zoe Konstantopoulou
Finally, Plefsi Eleftherias party founder and president Zoe Konstantopoulou, a defense attorney and counsel by training, demanded the convening of Parliament’s institutions and transparency committee to review all the documents of the Supreme Court’s preliminary investigation into the wire-tap scandal.
She also referred to a “shameful the announcement issued by the prosecutor of the Supreme Court on the issue of the illegal wiretapping,” while citing the government’s serious liabilities.
File photo: Zoe Konstantopoulou
“I am very saddened that once again prosecutors of the Supreme Court are proving not up to circumstances. Many others have come before us …unfortunately, it seems that when you are appointed by the government you tend to defend it, but this has nothing to do with justice. And, of course, it is not about any irrevocable will. We are talking about a simple preliminary investigation result that, instead of the four months required by law, took two years…”
