The former head of Greece’s EYP intelligence agency has firmly denied allegations that the agency used illegal phone spyware between 2019 and 2022. This denial comes amid a growing scandal that has raised concerns about privacy and surveillance in Greece.
The controversy began in 2022 when an opposition party leader and a journalist revealed they had been monitored through phone malware. These allegations prompted judicial investigations and led to the resignations of EYP’s then head, Panagiotis Kontoleon, and the general secretary to the prime minister.
Journalist Thanasis Koukakis (via Reuters) presented evidence showing that his phone had been infected with Predator spyware, developed by the surveillance company Cytrox, part of the Greece-based Intellexa consortium. Further investigations revealed traces of this spyware on several other phones belonging to politicians and businesspeople.
The conservative government admitted to legally monitoring the communications of Socialist party leader Nikos Androulakis but denied any illegal activities. Kontoleon, who led EYP from 2019 to 2022, testified in closed-door hearings in May, insisting that during his tenure, the agency neither purchased nor used Predator spyware.
Kontoleon stated that all wiretapping requests were authorized by a prosecutor and that he did not inform his political supervisors, including the prime minister, about operational details. He emphasized that all actions taken by EYP were within the bounds of the law.
Grigoris Dimitriadis, the general secretary who resigned and supervised EYP’s political activities in 2021-2022, also testified that the agency did not use such spyware. Despite some overlap between EYP’s targets and the infected phones, Dimitriadis supported Kontoleon’s claims.
Intellexa’s founder, Tal Dilian, has also denied any involvement or wrongdoing related to the case. The ongoing scrutiny highlights serious concerns about the protection of private communications and the use of surveillance technology in Greece.
