Journalist gives deposition in wiretapping affair
Financial journalist Thanasis Koukakis gave his deposition on Tuesday in relation to the recent wiretapping affair. The journalist gave his deposition over four hours to Supreme Court prosecutor Isidoros Dogiakos who is conducting a criminal investigation into the leaks of classified information in relation to the suspension of privacy communications.
“It has been two years since I lodged a complaint with the Hellenic Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (ADAE) over the first incident of my wiretapping. Since then, Greek justice has been moving very slowly,” stated Koukakis, adding that “I had a substantial conversation with the Supreme Court prosecutor today that focused on my first monitoring by the National Intelligence Agency (EYP), which however, did not move on to cover the second attempt to do so with the Predator software as I would have liked. What we have seen throughout this period is that journalistic research contributes to Justice.”
Koukakis stated that he submitted a memo with all the events he is aware of as well as journalistic revelations. He expressed his certainty that there will be an open line of communications with both the Supreme Court and the Court of First Instance prosecutors.
“The Mitsotakis government, with an amendment passed in May 2021, essentially denied all Greeks the right to know from the responsible department as well as the regulator for privacy of communications if they have been monitored for reasons of national security,” Koukakis said when asked what Greeks could do if they feel they have been monitored. “And in this same way they have denied you, they have denied me and even their political opponents like [PASOK leader] Nikos Androulakis to be informed that they had been monitored. When it comes to journalists, it would be a mistake to assume that I was the only one being monitored.”
The head of EYP and the general secretary of Mitsotakis’ office have both resigned over the scandal involving the targeting of PASOK President Androulakis, also an MEP, and Androulakis.
