Koukakis concludes testimony in wiretapping trial
Journalist Thanasis Koukakis has completed his testimony the trial over the Greek wiretapping scandal, as defense lawyers for the accused continued to deny any involvement.
The defense focused on the infected message Koukakis received on July 31, 2020, questioning whether he had previously reported it. He replied that it was included in a supplementary filing to the communications authority ADAE and supported by technical confirmation from Citizen Lab.
Koukakis reiterated that he was first monitored by the National Intelligence Service (EYP) and that information from that surveillance was later used to lure him into the Predator infection – a narrative the defense rejected.
Lawyers also attempted to challenge his credibility by referencing his reporting on Piraeus Bank and by questioning his claims about how former EYP chief Panagiotis Kontoleon was appointed. Koukakis maintained that businessman Yannis Lavranos had recommended Kontoleon to then then general secretary of the prime minister’s office Grigoris Dimitriadis, who is also a nephew of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
When asked if this meant that the prime minister followed Lavranos’ suggestion, Koukakis said: “I would say that he followed what his nephew said.”
The trial continues.
