The recent revelation by the leader of the centre-left PASOK-KINAL party, European Parliament deputy Nikos Androulakis, about his phone being hacked, which has received broad media attention, is exceptionally serious.
Androulakis did not discover on his own the malware-infected app that would turn his phone into a surveillance device.
On the contrary, it was a bureau of the European Parliament that detected the effort to surveille him.
Hence, it is a fact that has been institutionally confirmed in Brussels, and one must seek answers.
For his part, Androulakis brought the case to the competent Greek institution and has submitted a lawsuit to the Supreme Court (Areios Pagos).
He is awaiting the results of a prosecutor’s investigation, which is expected to commence immediately.
This is not an affair that involves only Androulakis.
It concerns all Greek citizens, who are well aware of the importance of private data protection, and may have been the target of similar violations.
The charge of the PASOK-KINAL leader must be probed exhaustively and in depth.
In matters of transparency, there is no room for ulterior motives.
The judiciary, in a contemporary and democratic state such as Greece, has a duty to leave no shadows regarding the security of communications of the leader of the country’s third largest party.
It is an issue of democracy and must be handled as such, so that the discussion of possible illegal hacking will not further diminish citizens’ trust in the political system.
In our country over the last decade, we have learned very well the repercussions of such distrust.
