September 24, 2025 - The Ocean Avenue News - oceanavenuenews.com

The wiretapping scandal in Greece and Europe – Google Search google.com/search?q=The+wire…
In the ongoing Greek wiretapping scandal, a trial began in September 2025 for four individuals linked to the Predator spyware. Victims and watchdogs continue to criticize the government and judiciary over alleged cover-ups and the inadequate prosecution of those responsible. The case is part of a wider European problem concerning spyware and surveillance that was examined by the European Parliament. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Trial of Predator spyware executives

Trial commences: The trial opened in the Athens Criminal Court in September 2025, over three years after the initial revelations. It was originally postponed from March 2025.
Defendants: The four defendants—two Israelis and two Greeks—are former executives of Intellexa, the company that marketed the Predator spyware in Greece.
Charge: The defendants face misdemeanor charges for violating the secrecy of telephone communication. The maximum sentence is five years.
Criticism of the trial:

Reduced charges: A Supreme Court prosecutor decided in July 2024 that the charges would be misdemeanors, despite evidence suggesting felony-level crimes like the violation of state secrets.
Limited scope: The trial focuses only on the use of Predator spyware, excluding the separate, but related, wiretapping by the National Intelligence Service (EYP).
No government officials prosecuted: Critics note that no government figures have been charged, despite high-level political resignations in 2022, including the prime minister’s chief of staff.
Victims excluded: High-profile figures confirmed as surveillance victims, including ministers and military officials, are not participating in the trial, raising concerns about its thoroughness. [1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Key figures and surveillance targets

Nikos Androulakis: The leader of the opposition party Pasok-Kinal, Androulakis, first revealed in July 2022 that his phone had been targeted with Predator spyware. He filed a complaint that spurred the judicial investigation.
Thanasis Koukakis: An investigative journalist, Koukakis was targeted with both Predator spyware and state wiretapping by the EYP. His 2022 investigation helped expose the scandal.
High-ranking officials: News reports revealed that dozens of high-ranking individuals were under surveillance. This list included former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, several current and former government ministers, military leaders, and journalists.
Meta executive: A former Meta security policy manager, Artemis Seaford, was both wiretapped by the EYP and hacked with Predator spyware while in Greece. [8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

European Parliament investigation

PEGA Committee: The European Parliament’s special Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent spyware (PEGA) looked into the surveillance scandal in multiple EU countries, including Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Spain.
Findings for Greece: The PEGA Committee’s 2023 report concluded that violations of EU law and maladministration had occurred in Greece.
Recommendations: The report called on Greece to:

Restore and strengthen legal safeguards to protect citizens.
Reinforce the independence of oversight bodies, such as the data protection authorities and the judiciary.
Amend the 2019 law that placed the EYP under the direct control of the prime minister.
Launch an independent investigation, possibly with Europol’s help.

Broader EU regulations: The committee also called for EU-wide rules to prevent spyware abuse, establish an EU Tech Lab for forensic support, and regulate the export of spyware. [4, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18]

Next steps for victims and Europe

Victim lawsuits: Several victims, including Androulakis and Koukakis, have filed civil suits. Many others are considering appealing to the European Court of Human Rights.
Legislative reforms: In response to the scandal, the Greek parliament banned the use of spyware. However, human rights organizations have criticized subsequent surveillance bills as insufficient.
European-level response: The European Parliament continues to address spyware misuse and push for stronger regulations across member states. The scandal highlights ongoing threats to democratic standards and press freedom in Europe. [4, 7, 8, 10, 17, 19]

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1] bbc.com/news/articles/ced56p…
[2] hpenews.com/news/national/wi…
[3] yahoo.com/news/articles/wire…
[4] epthinktank.eu/2024/06/02/wh…
[5] ekathimerini.com/news/128183…
[6] france24.com/en/live-news/20…
[7] business-humanrights.org/ar/…
[8] kulr8.com/news/national/wire…
[9] thepress.net/news/national/w…
[10] manchestertimes.com/news/nat…
[11] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_G…
[12] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_G…
[13] yahoo.com/news/articles/wire…
[14] lawfaremedia.org/article/peg…
[15] aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-parli…
[16] europarl.europa.eu/news/en/p…
[17] eucrim.eu/news/ep-recommenda…
[18] govwatch.gr/en/finds/systase…
[19] hrw.org/news/2022/12/08/gree…

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Sep 24, 2025