EU Attorney General Orders Investigation into Illegal Predator Surveillance

At a time when the Greek authorities essentially buried the scandal involving wiretapping of the opposition and journalists, EU through his organs does not allow him to close it as easily as K. Mitsotakis would like.

So, according to euractivthe EU prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into illegal software-Predator and how it was used in Greece. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has launched an investigation into the wiretapping scandal in our country, according to an exclusive publication by Euractiv, and several sources have confirmed to the international media that, at the request of the European Parliament’s PEGA Committee, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into various aspects of the scandal.

The PEGA panel’s investigation focused on the illegal export of Predator spyware from Greece to Asia, Africa and other countries, as well as allegations of complicity of companies involved in the so-called Predatorgateto tax evasion.

A representative of the European Prosecutor’s Office contacted by Euractiv refused to confirm or deny the fact of the investigation. “As a rule, we do not comment on ongoing investigations and do not publicly confirm which cases we are working on. This is done in order not to jeopardize the ongoing procedures and their results,” he told international media. “Whenever we have something to say about any of our investigations, we do so,” the spokesperson added.

The exclusive report says two different sources told Euractiv that in recent weeks the EU prosecutor has received specific information from Greek journalists investigating the wiretapping scandal. “People who testified to prosecutors provided evidence that the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis facilitated the distribution of Intellexa Predator malware to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Madagascar and Bangladesh by issuing export licenses through the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said a source close to to the point.

The publication recalls that initially the Greek government denied any involvement. However, a few weeks later, a government spokesman Giannis Iconomou acknowledgedthat the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued these permits and stated that it had launched an investigation into whether all the prescribed procedures had been properly followed. The issue of export licenses was first reported on by the investigative website Inside Story and the New York Times, he said, prompting the European Commission to seek clarification.

But Vice President of the Commission Valdis Dombrovskis reported last week that the Greek authorities had not responded to a request for information sent on 14 February. The report also notes that the Mitsotakis government has not responded to the PEGA committee on the matter. He notes that meanwhile Yannis Smirlisthe former general secretary of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs who signed licenses for the illegal export of spyware, resigned at the end of December and was quickly appointed vice chairman of the ruling New Democracy Party (EPP) before the country’s general elections.

According to Euractiv, on a legal level, the EU prosecutor is investigating whether the Greek government violated regulation (EU) 2021/821 on so-called “dual-use” products (i.e. products that require a special export license because they can also be used to cause harm) in favor of the Greek company Intellexa.

“European Prosecution’s intervention in the illegal export of government-authorized malware monitoring software by Mr. Mitsotakis’s close associate Mr. Smirlis, as well as large-scale tax evasion and tax fraud by the companies involved, is a stumbling block for the Mitsotakis parastate and a front operation . And now the opportunities to get away from punishment for those who have rejected the rule of law are narrowing. After May 21, nothing and no one will be left in the dark,” SYRIZA-PS said in a statement.

“Mr. Mitsotakis, who at first allegedly did not know about the Predator, and then it turned out that he gave licenses for its export to third countries, has now appeared before the European prosecutor’s office,” the press service of SYRIZA emphasizes – Progressive Alliance.

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