Following a recent court ruling in Athens that sentenced four individuals linked to the Predator spyware to a combined 126 years and eight months in prison each, new allegations have emerged about the extent of the surveillance scandal that has unsettled Greece’s political landscape.
Zacharias Kesses, a lawyer representing victims of illegal monitoring, said on Friday that former Greek health minister Vassilis Kikilias - Greece’s current shipping minister- , had been targeted with the Predator spyware while in office. In a public statement, Kesses described how Kikilias allegedly received multiple malicious messages designed to infect his phone, pointing to two particularly significant instances.
According to the lawyer, the first took place on April 1 and 2, 2021, when Kikilias was attending an emergency meeting of Greece’s national public health committee. At the time, officials were making critical decisions on pandemic management, including delaying the reopening of retail amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. A second alleged attempt occurred on January 29, 2021, while Kikilias was participating in a teleconference with other European health ministers.
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Kesses said he had submitted supporting documents, including an image purportedly showing Kikilias seated next to the compromised device, which he claimed effectively turned the phone into a live surveillance tool during sensitive discussions with European counterparts.
The lawyer added that Kikilias has not, so far, pursued legal action or filed a complaint against those allegedly responsible for the attempted surveillance.
