ATHENS, Aug 30 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Greece’s parliament on Monday set up a special committee to investigate a phone-hacking scandal that has roiled the conservative government.
A total of 142 MPs out of 299 present voted to probe the wire-tapping of socialist politician Nikos Androulakis, a European Parliament MEP who is also the leader of Greece’s third-largest party Pasok/Kinal.
There were no opposing votes, and the 157 lawmakers of the ruling New Democracy party abstained, parliament speaker Costas Tassoulas told the chamber.
Simmering since last year, the scandal exploded at the end of July when Androulakis filed a legal complaint claiming an attempted surveillance of his mobile phone via spyware known as Predator.
Within days, it emerged that Androulakis had also been under surveillance from the Greek intelligence service before becoming party leader last year.
The government had for months fended off accusations of wire-tapping by two Greek journalists, one of them claiming to be hacked both by Predator and state intelligence.
But on Aug 5, the head of Greece’s intelligence service and a close aide – – and nephew — to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis quit.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis insists he had not been informed that Androulakis was under surveillance, which, though technically legal, he has called
“politically unacceptable”.
The incident has weakened the PM, who is seeking re-election next year.
A weekend poll found that his party’s lead over its main rival, the leftist party Syriza, has narrowed to 6.3 points from double digits in June. — NNN-AGENCIES
