Greece's former spy boss tells judges service did not use illegal malware in 2019-22

By Yannis Souliotis

ATHENS (Reuters) -The former head of Greece's EYP intelligence service has denied allegations that the state agency used illegal phone malware in 2019-2022 to spy on targets, court documents show.

Greece became mired in scandal in 2022 following allegations by an opposition party leader and a journalist that they had been under state surveillance via phone malware.

The allegations, made amid growing concern in the European Union about the use of spyware, prompted judicial investigations and led to the resignations of then head of EYP Panagiotis Kontoleon and the general secretary to the prime minister.

Journalist Thanasis Koukakis' phone was infected by Predator spyware, developed by Cytrox, a surveillance company within the Greece-based Intellexa consortium.

Traces of Predator were found in dozens of phones, including politicians, journalists and businessmen, according to independent telecommunications privacy authority ADAE.

The conservative government says it lawfully monitored the communications of Socialist party leader Nikos Androulakis. It has denied any wrongdoing.

Kontoleon, EYP chief from 2019 to 2022, testified in closed-door hearings in May as a witness over the case that has raised questions about protection of private communications in Greece.

"During my term, I'm categorical about it, EYP neither bought, nor rented or used illegal spying Predator software," he told judges according to the documents seen by Reuters.

Some of EYP's targets during that period were the same people whose phones were infected with Predator, said an experts' report included in the documents.

Androulakis and Koukakis, who were among them, have not been officially informed about the reasons behind their surveillance. EYP declined to provide information on their cases to ADAE, the documents show.

The government said in 2022 that Kontoleon stepped down "following mistaken actions found during lawful wiretapping procedures". It did not specify the actions.

Kontoleon testified that all requirements were met before any wiretapping took place during his tenure and that any such request must be authorised by a prosecutor.

"On operational issues (information collection, choice of targets and methods ... ) my political supervisors, the secretary general and the prime minister, were not informed and did not ask to be informed by me," he said.

Grigoris Dimitriadis, the general secretary who resigned and who was EYP's political supervisor in 2021-22, also testified that the service did not use such spyware.

Intellexa's founder Tal Dilian, who testified in July, has denied any involvement in the case or wrongdoing.

(Reporting by Yannis Souliotis; Writing by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Toby Chopra)