Either because they are held hostage or because they are inferior to the circumstances
The silence of the monitored ministers, government officials, army officers and Justice officials who, as it turned out, had been put under surveillance by the Spyware Predator and several of them were also being monitored by the EYP, is deafening. These are at least 27 persons, according to the findings of the two Supreme Court experts, out of a total of 92 identified by the Personal Data Protection Authority (PDPA) in the summer of 2023, whose monitoring confirms Documento’s revelations about a single center monitoring. Among them are the current Minister of National Economy Kostis Hatzidakis, the deputy minister, today, despite the prime minister and then special secretary of the Parliament Giorgos Mylonakis, the former head of the National Tax Agency Konstantinos Floros, the deputy prosecutor of the Supreme Court Christos Bardakis and others.
That is, persons who hold offices and high positions in public life and handle sensitive issues of key national and strategic importance. In fact, Documento from the fall of 2022 had revealed that they had been put under surveillance to now solemnly confirm.
However, although the individuals in question have been officially informed a year ago about their illegal surveillance by Predator and some now know that they were also being monitored by EYP, they never appealed to the Court of Justice asking for their eavesdroppers to be identified and prosecuted. Despite the fact that this is a serious issue concerning the functioning of the democracy itself but also their personal dignity in the eyes of the citizens. In other words, they preferred to present the “dead bugs” rather than to do everything in their power for the exemplary punishment of both the physical and moral perpetrators of their surveillance. Something for which many have given a double interpretation: either they are in a situation of hostages and extortion or they are inferior to the institutional role they hold. But let’s look at some of these important figures of public life, most of whom were monitored by the Predator, but also several by the EYP for… reasons of national security. But also what they declared when Documento informed them about the scandal of their surveillance.
Kostis Hatzidakis: The famous target 5046c
He is one of the dual-watched top ministers of the government. His surveillance was revealed by Documento from the fall of 2022. According to the then report by Kostas Vaxevanis, K. Hatzidakis was put under surveillance because he was considered to have his own agenda while he was at the Ministry of Energy. His monitoring by the EYP lasted eight months with the current Minister of National Economy carrying the code name “goal 5046c”.
Despite his double monitoring, K. Hatzidakis never appealed to Justice. Even when he was informed by the Anti-Corruption Commission that the illegal Predator spyware had been detected on his mobile phone. Impressive is also the political attitude he maintained and maintains on this particular issue. It is characteristic that in December 2022, in his statement to Documento, K. Hatzidakis specifically mentioned: “In no way do I believe that the prime minister, with whom we have excellent cooperation and has honored me with his friendship for so many years, there is even the slightest possibility that he is involved in this whole story. I emphasize it once again! Justice must deal with this whole issue quickly and comprehensively, leading to the punishment of all those who have in any way been illegal in this particular case. It’s a matter of democracy.”
Giorgos Mylonakis: He didn’t even comment on it
The then general secretary of the Parliament and now deputy minister in addition to the prime minister was under double surveillance as Documento had revealed. So is his wife, journalist – television critic Tina Messaropoulou.
“I have nothing to comment on as I do not believe that my wife and I have been followed” G. Mylonakis had noted in Documento.
Nikos Androulakis: Petitioner’s report
N. Androulakis, when it was revealed that he was being monitored by the EYP for “national security” reasons, did not file a lawsuit against the persons who signed the documents for his monitoring, but filed a complaint. The difference is that when a lawsuit is filed, the acts and persons who committed the offenses are described and their punishment is requested. On the contrary, in the indictment reference is made to facts and the commission of offenses by any persons is requested to be investigated.
Konstantinos Floros: He saw a “mud war”
It was also double tracked. As Documento revealed, General Floros’ tracking code from the EYP was “519c” while reports had been drawn up about him and in relation to a house purchase he had made.
In the first communication at that time, Kon. Floros had emphasized in Documento: “We are doing our job. No comment. Thanks for the update”. After a few weeks and while the revelations of the Documento continued, Con. Floros responded through an aggressive statement issued by the General Staff of National Defense. In it the then head of the country’s Armed Forces fully accepted his monitoring as something completely normal and spoke of an alleged “mud war”. However, he did not say the least about the substance of the constitutional diversion scandal.
Those monitored by EYP and Predator
Documento lists them double watched by EYP and Predator, most of whom hold offices and did not appeal to Justice:
- Christos Bardakis (prosecutor AP)
- Kostis Hatzidakis (minister of finance)
- George Mylonakis (deputy minister to the prime minister)
- Tina Messaropoulou (journalist, wife of G. Mylonakis)
- Mai Zanni (special advisor to the General Secretariat of the Prime Minister)
- Manolis Grafakos (cc of the Waste Management Coordination of the Ministry of the Environment)
- Nikos Sigalas (communication advisor)
- Kostis Mousouroulis (partner K. Hatzidakis),
- Aristides Alexopoulos (general director of Defense Equipment and Investments of the Ministry of National Defence)
- Nikos Androulakis (president of PASOK)
- Konstantinos Floros (former head of GEETHA)
- Penelope Miniati (Lieutenant General and Director of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations)
- Thomas Varvitsiotis and Yiannis Olympios (founders of the communications and PR company V+O)
- Argyro Xagoraris (longtime close associate of Mareva Grabovski)
- Lakis Lazopoulos (actor)
- Stefanos Chios (journalist)
- Fotini Ioannou (senior National Bank executive)
- Tonia Priba (lawyer, legal advisor at the General Secretariat of Telecommunications and Posts at the Ministry of Digital Governance)
- Ioannis Phytilis (Lawyer)
- Artemis Seaford (then a Facebook executive)
- Maria Diamanti (then working at Maximos)
- Spyros Kousounis (YEDTE executive)
- Menios Fourthiotis
- Stefanos Fitrakis
- Thanasis Koukakis (journalist)
- Panagiotis Zarkadas
The glaring case of Chr. Bardaki
He proceeded to the “indistinct” filings while being watched
The deputy prosecutor of the Supreme Court and former head of the Financial Crimes Prosecutor’s Office is one of the glaring cases of those being double monitored by EYP and by Predator.
The senior prosecutor was under surveillance by the EYP from June 1, 2020 until June 12, 2022, with continuous declassification orders signed by his colleague prosecutor Vasiliki Vlachou, then supervising the EYP and also monitored with Predator. According to what is mentioned in the conclusion of the preliminary examination carried out by the deputy prosecutor of the Supreme Court, Achilleas Zisis, all the provisions that were issued were for “reasons of national security”.
That is, reasons that, as explained by Ah. Zisis citing the law 5002/2022 “are concluded with the protection of the basic fundamental interests of Greek citizens, such as in particular reasons related to national defense, foreign policy, energy security and cyber security”. In other words, the EYP decided that Chr. Bardakis had to be put under surveillance for two consecutive years for reasons related to the country’s national security, something to which his colleague Vas. Vlachos agreed. It is a question what those reasons were in the case of Bardakis. However, it is impressive that Chr. Bardakis never appealed to the Justice in order to protect his prosecutorial honor and to be informed why he was put under surveillance by the EYP for “national security” reasons.
The Chr. Bardakis had also been put under surveillance by the Predator. According to the case file that has been filed, on November 23, 2021 at 9:59:01 a.m., Chr. Bardakis received a “trapped” SMS with Predator spyware.
At that time, he was head of the Economic Crime Prosecutor’s Office, which investigated cases of major social, economic and political interest. Among them the Novartis scandal and in particular the cases of former Health Ministers Adonis Georgiadis and Dimitris Avramopoulos. Finally, a few weeks later, the case files concerning the two political figures were filed and while amounts of money had been identified in their accounts which were characterized as “of unspecified origin”, causing an uproar. The famous contract 717 of OTE for signaling – remote control in the network had also been filed. The case was necessarily reopened after the Tempe tragedy and while the European Public Prosecutor intervened.
Although officially informed by the APDPH that he was under surveillance by the Predator, Chr. Bardakis never appealed before the Justice, a fact not at all honorable for the image of a top public prosecutor.
Also, during the conducted preliminary examination, Ah. Zisis, whose office is adjacent to that of Chr. Bardakis at the Areio Pagos, never examined him as a witness in the context of the investigation into the wiretapping scandal. Despite the fact that in the case of Bardakis, serious questions are raised as to whether he was blackmailed as a victim of surveillance during the period when he was investigating major cases. In fact, as high judges emphasize, even the cases handled by the Economic Crime Prosecutor’s Office during the Bardakis days should be examined.
Read also:
Article – intervention of Rammos: Is the lifting of secrecy for reasons of national security legal or legitimate?
The truth in 17 headlines: Documento’s ultimate vindication for covering up wiretapping by Justice
Wiretapping scandal: Adeilini and Zisis “fudged” the investigation
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