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[96]Greece

Greece passes intelligence bill banning the sale of spyware

Vote comes as government tries to mitigate impact of a phone-tapping
scandal involving Pasok party leader
Nikos Androulakis.
[ ]
Nikos Androulakis, the leader of the socialist Pasok party, claimed the
EYP listened to his conversations. Photograph: George Kontarinis/AP
Nikos Androulakis, the leader of the socialist Pasok party, claimed the
EYP listened to his conversations. Photograph: George Kontarinis/AP

Reuters in Athens
Fri 9 Dec 2022 14.38 ESTLast modified on Fri 9 Dec 2022 14.48 EST
*
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[97]Greece's parliament has passed a bill overhauling the country's
intelligence service (EYP) and banning the sale of spyware, as the
government tries to mitigate the impact of a phone-tapping scandal
still under investigation.

The case has turned up the heat on the conservative government, which
faces elections in 2023. It emerged in August when Nikos Androulakis,
the leader of the socialist Pasok party, Greece's third-largest,
claimed the EYP listened to his conversations in 2021.
Greek PM under pressure over tapping of opponent's phone
Read more

A few days earlier, he filed a complaint with prosecutors over an
attempted bugging of his mobile phone with surveillance software.

The bill criminalises the sale or possession of spyware and makes the
private use of spyware a felony from a misdemeanour, punishable by up
to 10 years' imprisonment.

It also sets up an academy of counterintelligence for the training of
EYP staff and a unit to investigate cases of breach of duty.

Only EYP and the anti-terrorism unit can request a prosecutor's
approval to monitor people for a range of crimes specified under the
bill and a second prosecutor must sign the request.

Politicians can only be monitored for national security reasons, and
the parliament's speaker must also approve such requests. Those
affected can be informed about the surveillance three years later, if
prosecutors allow it.

The prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, called the bill a "brave
institutional response" to a challenge that goes beyond Greece.

Mitsotakis, who brought EYP under his control after taking office in
2019, has apologised to Androulakis, saying the EYP operation was
politically unacceptable, despite being legal, and that he was unaware
of it.

Before the vote, Pasok accused the government of seeking accomplices by
asking the opposition to approve the bill.

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"The case is not closed, it is and will remain open until the truth is
revealed," a party representative, Michail Katrinis, told parliament.

The government announced its plan to ban the sale of spyware last month
after the leftist newspaper Documento reported that more than 30
people, including ministers, had been under state surveillance through
phone malware.

The government has denied any involvement in the case.
Topics
* [101]Greece

* [102]Surveillance
* [103]Europe
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