Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ appointment as the new chief of the EYP National Intelligence Service, Ambassador Themistoklis Demiris, received a positive recommendation from MPs of the ruling New Democracy Party today, during a hearing in the competent Parliamentatry Committee on Institutions and Transparency.

This is the first time that Parliament has had an advisory role in the appointment of EYP’s director, a process that was instituted by the government by a Legislative Act issued on 9 August, in the aftermath of revelations that the leader of the centre-left PASOK-KINAL party was surveilled by EYP while he was a European Parliament Member (a position he still holds) and running for the party leadership (the surveillance ceased two days after he was elected).

The meeting was also attended by State Minister Yorgos Gerapetritis, one of the PM’s closest confidants.

All opposition parties expressed a negative opinion on the appointment on the appointment of Demiris.

The new EYP chief was one of the closest associates of Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, as until now he served in the top post of general secretary of the ministry.

Politicians, journalists not ‘a priori exempted’ from surveillance

Parliamentary procedure and rules mandate that the proceedings of the committee must remain confidential , but opposition sources leaked that Demiris, when asked by opposition party members of the committee whether other politicians and journalists were or are under surveillance, he appeared to indicate that that is possible.

“I have had full control of the Service [EYP] for the last 15 days. No one is a priori exempted,” he is quoted as saying.

Opposition parties: Demiris indirectly admits that more politicians are under surveillance

That statement was described by opposition MPs in the committee as an admission that other politicians have been or are still under surveillance.

Main opposition SYRIZA and PASOK-KINAL had said in advance that they could not approve any pick of Mitsotakis, because they consider him the mastermind behind Androulakis’ surveillance.

The surveillance of journalists

It had been revealed in late July to the same committee by the former EYP chief, Panagiotis Kontoleon – who on 5 August resigned (along with the PM’s chief of staff Dimitris Grigoriadis) according to the government for “mishandling” legal wiretappings – that financial reporter Thanasis Koukakis, who was looking into banking scandals, was also placed under surveillance.

Koukakis has said that his phone was later hacked with Predator spyware, which is illegal in Greece, by persons unknown.

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