Greece’s government has refused to confirm or deny whether state authorities issued official recommendation letters certifying the use of the Predator spyware, reigniting controversy over a surveillance scandal that has dogged Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s administration for years.
At a press briefing on Monday, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis repeatedly declined to answer questions about reports that Greek public authorities provided documentation to Intellexa, the company linked to Predator, verifying the software’s successful operation in Greece. The allegations were published by the Sunday newspaper To Vima.
Asked several times whether such documents exist, Marinakis neither confirmed nor denied the reports, saying only that he had “no knowledge, no briefing and no information” about the matter.
Instead, he referred journalists to the judiciary, arguing that the case has been under investigation for a long time and that any answers should come from the courts. He also dismissed the allegations as “rumours and publications” that “are not based in reality”, while urging reporters to respect the separation of powers.
When journalists pointed out that the claims originated from a respected national newspaper rather than speculation, Marinakis maintained that he had no information regarding the alleged documents and insisted that the judiciary remained the only competent authority to determine the facts. Pressed on whether his refusal to deny the reports effectively left open the possibility that the documents exist, he replied that the claims “do not arise from anywhere” and again characterised them as media reports.
The government spokesperson was more categorical when addressing a separate report suggesting the administration was considering legislation that would allow Israeli businessman Tal Dilian, the entrepreneur associated with Intellexa, to be tried in Israel through a special legal arrangement. Marinakis explicitly denied the claim, rejecting any suggestion that such a legislative amendment was under consideration.
The latest controversy has prompted a sharp response from the opposition PASOK party, which accused the government of continuing to evade accountability over what has become one of Greece’s most politically damaging scandals.
In a statement, PASOK argued that Marinakis simultaneously dismissed the allegations as “baseless rumours” while admitting he had no information about them. The party called for Tal Dilian and former prime ministerial aide Grigoris Dimitriadis to appear before Parliament’s Institutions and Transparency Committee to answer whether preliminary agreements or recommendation letters relating to Predator’s export exist.
The demands come as Greek authorities continue an internal administrative investigation within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs into the licensing of Predator exports to third countries. PASOK said the latest revelations “irreparably expose both the government and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis personally”.
The party also cited claims made by lawyer Zacharias Kesses, who participated in recent legal proceedings related to the case, alleging that the official administrative inquiry into Predator’s export licence refers to certificates issued by the Greek government, including what he described as a “Government End User Certificate”. According to PASOK, the official who authorised the export licence later became director-general of the ruling New Democracy party but has never been called to testify.
For nearly four years, Mitsotakis’s government has maintained that the Predator affair was a private commercial matter unrelated to the state. Opposition parties have consistently challenged that account, arguing that mounting evidence points to official involvement in the acquisition or export of the spyware.
PASOK used unusually strong language in its statement, arguing that the latest allegations leave “no doubt” that the Greek state procured Predator to monitor ministers, senior military officers, judges and journalists. The party described the scandal as “Greece’s Watergate” and claimed that official state documents now directly implicate the country’s political leadership.
