Former Greek spy boss denies using illegal malware

The former chief of Greece’s intelligence service told judges the agency didn’t use illegal phone malware between 2019 and 2022 to spy on targets, Reuters reported, citing court documents.
The surveillance scandal broke in August 2022 when it was revealed that the government had wiretapped the phone of opposition Socialist Pasok leader Nikos Androulakis. Investigative journalists, civil rights organizations and Greek communications regulator ADAE revealed over the course of the year that the country’s state spy service had a growing network of politicians and journalists under surveillance.
Panagiotis Kontoleon, the former head of Greece’s EYP intelligence service, was one of a handful of top officials who resigned in the wake of the developments.