Greece will soon ban the sale of spyware, the government said amid a scandal over the wiretapping of more than 30 people, including ministers and businessmen, with phone malware, Reuters reported.

A list of people whose phones were allegedly infected with Predator malware was published in the newspaper Documento, citing two sources.

Government spokesman Yannis Oikonomou said that reports that the government was behind the surveillance were unfounded. He assured that the Greek state did not use or buy such spyware. He added that law enforcement authorities are investigating the latest report.

He said that the authorities would submit a bill to parliament that would prohibit the sale of spyware.

The publication of Documento was the latest development in the wiretapping scandal that caused a political backlash in Greece. A Greek prosecutor launched an investigation earlier this year.

Most of the alleged victims, including the former conservative prime minister and the current foreign and finance ministers, declined to comment or told the newspaper that they knew nothing about it.

In July, Socialist opposition leader Nikos Androulakis filed a complaint with higher courts over the attempted wiretapping of his cell phone with surveillance software. The government, which is facing elections in 2023, said at the time that the surveillance was legal because it was approved by the prosecutor.



Translated with DeepL