Draft law on tighter control Greek intel agency unveiled

The Greek government on Tuesday unveiled a draft law envisioning reforms for the National Intelligence Agency (EYP), in the wake of an ongoing wire-tapping and hacking furor that commenced with a confirmation, by the former, that EYP was legally eavesdropping on a political and at least one journalist.

The draft legislation also aims to prohibit the use and trading of spyware in the country, a nod to the notorious Predator spyware that certain media in Greece have alleged was used to hack the mobile phones of several ministers, their spouses, journalists and others.

According to reports, the Greek government has sought advice from abroad – mainly from Britain – in composing the draft bill, in a bid to enact the best practices of foreign intelligence services in such cases.

The compilation of the bill essentially began after a brief nationwide address by PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis in early August.

Hours earlier the government had admitted that EYP sought and received approval by a top prosecutor to listen in on phone conversations by current PASOK-KINAL party leader Nikos Androulakis, before he assumed the party’s helm but while he was – and still is – a European Parliament deputy.