Another week, another fresh round of allegations on the spyware scandal surrounding the Greek government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, reports the Belga News Agency.
On Sunday, it was revealed by the Vima newspaper, that Greece's Ministry of Digital Governance reportedly authorised the company Intellexa to sell the Predator spyware in the country.
The software has been used to target the phones of several politicians, journalists and opponents in Greece.
According to the media outlet, which cites anonymous sources, "important and high-ranking members of the ministry" had contacts with representatives of the Intellexa company that marketed the malware.
"The company Intellexa received permission for the export and sale of this software from the Ministry of Digital Governance," the newspaper wrote.
According to To Vima, the customers interested in buying the Predator were from Armenia, Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Serbia.
Government denies the reports
The Ministry of Digital Governance "categorically" denies the allegations in a statement. "The ministry does not, under any circumstances, have the capacity to authorise the export or sale of any product," it said.
The Sunday newspaper Documento, also published on Sunday a new list of 38 personalities targeted by the software, including politicians, ministers, business owners and journalists.
According to Documento, the targets for surveillance include former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, the current ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Development, Labour and Tourism, shipowner Vangelis Marinakis, owner of football clubs Olympiakos and Nottingham Forest, as well as several journalists.
Government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said on Sunday that the new publications were "based on unsubstantiated allegations and fanciful stories, without any substantial evidence".
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"The government is treating the case with absolute seriousness, so that the truth will come out," he said, before accusing Alexis Tsipras, leader of the main opposition party Syriza (radical left), of investing in "a toxic political plan to drag the government through the mud.
In Brussels, Belgian MEP Saskia Bricmont, who sits on Pegasus enquiry at the European Parliament, responded to the latest allegations on Twitter. ”About time for the Greek justice to enter into action after the ever-growing revelations of spying confirmed by different media outlets.”
“The system is collapsing in Greece and the EU is watching,” concluded the MEP.
