Greek spy chief resigns over Israeli spyware surveillance claims

Greek spy chief resigns over Israeli spyware surveillance claims
So far, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has managed to insulate himself from accusations of direct involvement in the scandal. 
2 min read
07 August, 2022
Panagiotis Kontoleon was forced to step down after weeks of growing scandals [Getty]

The head of Greece’s intelligence service, Panagiotis Kontoleon has resigned after accusations that the agency used Israeli-made spyware to bug opposition politicians and journalists. 

One of the Greek prime minister’s key aides, Grigoris Dimitriadis, has also handed in his notice. 
   
Kontoleon was forced to resign “following incorrect actions during a lawful wiretapping operation”, according to Greek PM Mitsotakis’ office. 

A series of scandals has rocked the world of Greek politics after reporters tied officials close to the Prime Minister to companies selling Predator, a new Israeli spyware service

In June, Reporters United alleged that Grigoris Dimitriadis had indirect business dealings with Predator through an agent to surveil opposition politicians. 

At the time, Dimitriadis denied all the allegations made. 

Then on July 29, spy chief, Kontoleon admitted during a closed parliamentary session that his agents had used the controversial software to gather intelligence on financial journalist, Thanis Koukakis. 

So far, prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has managed to insulate himself from accusations of direct involvement in the scandal. 

Predator can break through almost all digital protections and gain access to personal phones and computers - from encrypted data to camera and microphone feeds. 

New generations of Israeli spyware have been exported round the world for several years, targeting opposition groups, human rights activists and members of Parliament. 

Pegasus, which has been widely used by governments in Gulf states to bug activists and silence dissenting voices, has also been used extensively in Europe and the US.