A television report has thrust the Predator spyware scandal back into the political arena, with claims that the government may be preparing legislation that could ease the legal position of Tal Dilian, the founder of Intellexa, the company behind the Predator surveillance scandal.

According to a MEGA report aired Tuesday evening, the government is said to be working on an amendment that could lead to more lenient treatment of Dilian ahead of the appeals trial in the wiretapping and Predator case. There is no official confirmation of any such measure, and the government has not acknowledged that any amendment exists or has been filed.

The broadcaster reported that the appeals trial has been scheduled for December, and that the proposed legislation is already stirring unease inside the government itself.

Reported cabinet friction

MEGA said senior government figures have expressed serious reservations about the prospect of such an amendment. According to the report, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and Justice Minister George Floridis are said to disagree with the plan, as is Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, who reportedly signaled he would not vote for such a provision if it were brought to parliament.

For readers unfamiliar with the players, these are among the most senior members of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s cabinet, and any open disagreement among them over a sensitive legal matter would be notable.

A targeted amendment?

The report characterized the measure as one that could affect the criminal treatment of Dilian, who was convicted at first instance alongside three others in the case.

MEGA also referred to pending appeals connected to the shelving of an investigation into alleged espionage, a strand that likewise feeds into the broader legal trajectory of the affair.

No official confirmation

There has so far been no official confirmation from the government that such an amendment exists or has been submitted. Were the reporting to be borne out, it would be expected to trigger sharp political reactions, given that the wiretapping and Predator scandal remains one of the most sensitive issues in Greek politics.

PASOK and the government trade blows

The report quickly triggered a public clash between PASOK and the government. In a statement, the center-left party cited the MEGA reporting and argued that staying silent would not help the government escape the tight spot it finds itself in this time. It called on the government spokesman, Pavlos Marinakis, to state publicly whether the reports were true. The party framed the matter pointedly, asking whether a convicted foreign operative was being handed a soft landing, and whether the government legislates at the behest of people already found guilty by the greek justice system.

Government sources hit back by casting the statement as a sign of PASOK’s desperation over its poll numbers. They said the party had issued a statement over a news report with no factual basis, on a matter the government has repeatedly denied.