The former secretary general of Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis has sued the Athenian media. They reported relationships with a spyware company.

Grigoris Dimitriadis is angry. He asks for 550,000 euros for defaming two Athenian media outlets and three journalists Photo: George Kontarinis/Picture Alliance

ATHENS taz | He is asking for 550,000 euros for defaming two Athenian media outlets and three journalists. But he did not appear in court. Grigoris Dimitriadis, lawyer, omnipotent secretary general of the office of the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his nephew from July 11, 2019 to August 5, 2022, preferred to be represented by two lawyers at the first instance hearing held on Thursday in the Regional Court of Athens. leave. A witness who works for his law firm testified on his behalf. When the defense asked her key questions, she responded, “I don't know.”

The Athens newspaper knew more Efsynlike the taz, a cooperative and the Athens research platform United Reporters with its website of the same name. With two exhaustively researched stories, they brought light to the darkness of Athens' massive phone hacking scandal, and also angered Dimitriadis.

The first post from June 3, 2022 is titled “Big Nephew and Big Brother.” It is shown that Dimitriadis began his business activity at the end of 2019 “despite the incompatibility with the law,” he said. Efsyn and United Reporters.

It documents in detail how certain people with whom Dimitriadis had dealings are directly or indirectly linked to the companies that distribute the famous Predator spy software. Dimitriades denies the allegations, describing them as “a series of accusations and scenarios.” Opposite United Reporters He explained: “My investments are completely legal.”

SLAPP Award Winner

Efsyn and United Reporters but he didn't stop. The second story revealed, titled “Wall to Wall with Predator”, was published on August 4, 2022. The background to this is that more than a hundred politicians, soldiers, businessmen and journalists were under surveillance in Greece during the first term. of the conservative Mitsotakis government.

On August 5, 2022, one day after the second article was published, Dimitriadis resigned from his position. The 49-page lawsuit, which is available to the taz, is dated August 4, the last day on which Dimitriadis acted as Prime Minister Mitsotakis' right-hand man.

Numerous international free speech and media organizations have condemned Dimitriadis' lawsuit as a “strategic lawsuit against public participation” (“SLAPP” for short). Their goal is to suppress critical reports. In October 2022, Dimitriadis received the European SLAPP Award. He persistently ignores calls to drop the lawsuit.

Press freedom restricted in Greece

At the trial in Athens, the defense called several witnesses, including constitutional lawyers and investigative journalists. “The publications are extremely careful. I would show it to my students as an example of a text that should not be considered defamatory,” said constitutional lawyer Nikos Alevizatos.

The case highlights press freedom here. Greece occupies a shameful 107th place in Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) world press freedom ranking.

Whether it is a gigantic pharmaceutical scandal, the devastating train accident in Tempital in central Greece with 57 dead or the sinister phone hacking scandal in Athens: Mitsotakis and company always do everything possible to cover it up with their majority in the parliamentary U committees. Important witnesses are not called, evidence is not examined, or it is simply destroyed. The investigations fail and no one is punished.

New lawsuit against Athens media

The Greek justice system is also notoriously inefficient. When the Athens prosecutor in charge of investigating the phone hacking scandal was ready to initiate criminal proceedings, the lead prosecutor, Georgia Adeilini, suddenly withdrew the investigation file from him. The highest judge is appointed by the Mitsotakis government. Since then nothing has happened in this delicate matter.

Back to Dimitriadis: In November 2023, the prime minister's nephew filed a second lawsuit. He turns again against Efsyn and United Reporters. This time he demands compensation of 3.3 million euros and the withdrawal of other articles that reported on his alleged involvement in the telephone hacking scandal.

Nikolas Leontopoulos, co-founder and author of United Reporters, said the taz: “Dimitriadis has the right to sue. But we will win.”