Bank hands court data on card linked to predator spyware scandal
The National Bank of Greece has complied with a court order to provide transaction data linked to a pre-paid bank card allegedly connected to the Predator spyware scandal, which targeted politicians, journalists and other figures.
The presiding judge in the ongoing Athens trial said the card was used between June 2, 2020, and December 16, 2021. Prosecutors allege it was used to pay for spyware-infected text messages sent to Nikos Androulakis, now leader of the main opposition PASOK party. The card’s holder has claimed it was lost before being activated.
Four businessmen are standing trial on misdemeanor charges over alleged violations of Greece’s privacy laws in connection with the case. All have denied any wrongdoing.
The scandal came to light in 2022 after Androulakis was informed that his phone had been infected following receipt of a suspicious text message. It later emerged that he had also been monitored by Greece’s intelligence service, EYP, and that dozens of others — including cabinet ministers, senior military and judicial officials, journalists and business figures — were also targeted.
The revelations led to the resignation of the EYP chief and a senior aide to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The trial, which began last year, is set to resume on January 19.
