• Ar
  • Es
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Feature
  • Videos
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Feature
Videos
Infographs
In Pictures
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Europe
  4. Greece in a pickle over Predator use, seeks US 'judicial cooperation'
Europe

Greece in a pickle over Predator use, seeks US 'judicial cooperation'

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 21 Dec 2022 00:06

The scandal was unveiled on July 26, 2022, when Nikos Androulakis, the president of PASOK, filed a complaint to the Supreme Court for a personal data breach.

  • Greece lawyers call on US for judicial cooperation over wiretap probe
    Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Lawyers in Greece working on a wire-tapping probe have called on the United States on Tuesday to request "judicial cooperation" against the Greek government. 

According to a legal source close to the matter, the request was made because "suspicious SMS (text messages on mobile phones of people surveilled) are suspected to have been sent from the United States."

The scandal was unveiled on July 26, 2022, when Nikos Androulakis, the president of PASOK, filed a complaint to the Supreme Court for a personal data breach.

Androulakis said he had been targeted by the Predator spyware as it attempted to tap into his mobile phone.

Reports later emerged that Androulakos had been under state surveillance from the Greek intelligence services before he assumed the leadership of the Pasok party. 

Two Greek journalists subsequently said they had been under state surveillance. 

Read more: Israeli Predator-maker Intellexa in Athens raided after sales ban

In November,  the Greek government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis admitted that it carried out "legal" surveillance activities by the intel services against journalists and politicians but refused to disclose the reasons under the guise of "national security".

However, the government rebuked allegations of using illegal surveillance software to spy on their targets.

The judicial investigation still has not clarified any matter related to the probe. 

The government has refuted claims from other prominent journalists and politicians that they were being spied on by the government, including former premier Antonis Samaras, several serving cabinet ministers, military chiefs, media owners, and journalists.

Meanwhile in #Greece, the son of the Chief Areopagite prosecutor in charge of the illegal wiretapping scandal works as a consultant in Mitsotakis’ transport & infrastructure ministry #GreekWatergate #Corruption #predator https://t.co/OGyJmPteOa

— Theodore Koulouris (@theokoulouris) December 19, 2022

On December 17, local media reported that Greek police raided the Athens office of an Israeli company behind the Predator spyware, as investigations into a wiretapping scandal that has rocked the country in recent months continue.

The offices of Intellexa, the spyware company that supplies Predator, were raided on Tuesday evening, along with the offices of five other companies. The homes of the company executives were also targeted.

The Predator spyware is a less expensive alternative to the more well-known Pegasus spyware from the NSO Group, also an Israeli company, and it can similarly infiltrate smartphones, steal data, and turn them into listening and recording devices.

However, as the NSO Group is blacklisted for its role in assisting authoritarian regimes, Intellexa, founded by former Israeli military intelligence general Tal Dilian, is gaining popularity, according to a New York Times investigation published last week.

“Predator was found to have been used in another dozen countries since 2021, illustrating the continued demand among governments and the lack of robust international efforts to limit the use of such tools,” according to the Times investigation.

Greece granted Intellexa licenses to export its Predator spyware to Madagascar, and Intellexa pitched its spyware to Ukraine, which declined the offer, according to the investigation.

Read more: Israeli-led spyware industry further exposed, becoming unruly: NYT

  • Kyriakos Mitsotakis
  • spying
  • Pegasus project
  • Greece
  • NSO Group
  • Predator
  • Predator spyware
  • Pegasus Spyware
  • Pegasus

Trending Now

All
Investigations into the “Greek Watergate” phone-tapping scandals continue. Source: Océanos y dados, Flickr, License.

Israeli Predator-maker Intellexa in Athens raided after sales ban

Most Read

US dollar may lose status as global reserve currency: Yellen

US dollar may lose status as global reserve currency: Yellen

  • US & Canada
  • 22 Mar
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference on 25, February, 2022. (AFP)

Kiev unable to launch counteroffensive: Zelensky

  • Europe
  • 25 Mar
Europe's move has only increased Putin’s esteem outside the West -- but estimation of Europe’s political nous and understanding of Russia, however, is sharply diminished.

Lawfare Comes into Fashion: The New Geo-political ‘Rack’

  • Analysis
  • 25 Mar
Crewmen enter Bradley fighting vehicles at a US military base at an undisclosed location in Northeastern Syria, on November 11, 2019 (AP)

US occupation bases under fire in Syria for second day in a row

  • MENA
  • 24 Mar

Read this

All
Mounted police disperse anti-government protesters in 'Tel Aviv', occupied Palestine, March 27, 2023 (AP)
US & Canada

IOF separating protesters, Netanyahu supporters to curb clashes

  • Today
File photo of United Nations Security Council meeting. (AFP)
Europe

UNSC fails to adopt Russian draft calling for Nord Stream probe

  • Today
.
Palestine

Report shows settlers' trust in Israeli institutions hits record low

  • 27 Mar
Ukrainian soldiers ride atop a British-supplied APC on the frontline in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Sunday, March 26, 2023 (AP Photo/Libkos)
Europe

Biden to escalate in Ukraine: NYT

  • Today
Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS