His remarks came during a speech in the Greek Parliament in which he sharply criticized the government and referred broadly to issues such as high prices, profiteering, corruption, and the country’s ongoing wiretapping scandal.
Samaras told lawmakers that he would not elaborate on several concerns he has about the state of the country, including what he described as corruption that has also been highlighted by the European Union. He also briefly mentioned the surveillance case that, as he said, involved him personally. “Today I do not intend to express my concerns about high prices and profiteering, about corruption—which is now being denounced even with the seal of the European Union—or about the wiretapping that concerned me personally. I say this now that the trial has been completed,” he said.
The claim that Samaras had been targeted was later confirmed by lawyer Zacharias Kesses, who said the former prime minister had been the victim of surveillance attempts using the illegal spyware Predator in October 2021.
In a post on the social media platform X, Kesses referred to two messages sent on October 7 and 8 of that year, describing their content as “tragicomic.”
According to the lawyer, one of the messages read: “Antonis, you must step forward and speak out. In situations like these, leaders are needed.” Another message said: “Mr. President, soon they will start trembling at the revelations.” Such messages are typically used to lure recipients into clicking malicious links that install spyware on their devices.
Kesses argued that the content of the messages remains relevant even today and called on Samaras to take a clear institutional step by voluntarily appearing before prosecutors, filing a formal complaint, and requesting criminal prosecution against those responsible. Anything less, he said, would amount to “hypocrisy and evasion.”
The surveillance issue has been a major political controversy in Greece in recent years, particularly after reports that politicians, journalists, and other public figures may have been targeted with spyware. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also referred to the matter in an interview on Thursday, saying that Parliament will soon hold a broader debate on rule-of-law issues.
“Let political leaders not be impatient,” Mitsotakis said. “We will fully respect the rules of Parliament. Within the next month, there will be a discussion in Parliament on the overall issues concerning the rule of law. It will give us the opportunity to assess where we have made progress, where further steps are needed, and ultimately everyone will judge us.”
