By Elena Galari

The former Minister of Citizen Protection Olga Gerovasilis expressed her certainty that the monitoring through the EYP and the Predator malware are not unrelated to each other in her testimony in the trial on the wiretapping case.

“There was a connection between the users of the illegal software and the EYP. This was seen from the publicity the case received. Now what is the reason for the cooperation of the systems? Ensuring the information that someone can get from each system. I don’t even know who made use of the information, but if it was indeed used there is direct interference in the political life of the country,” said Ms. Gerovasili, adding that she had been informed that she was possibly being monitored by publications.

“My mobile phone was never checked. I had filed a personal data breach complaint against strangers,” the former minister said, adding that she had not been asked to hand over her mobile phone.

Mrs. Gerovasili described the relationship she had with the EYP as a “collaborative relationship”, pointing out that from 2017 to 2019, when she was Minister of Citizen Protection, she had not noticed anything happening.

Prosecutor: From your knowledge as a former Minister of Citizen Protection, if the EYP wanted to procure a new software, would everything be known or is there some secret fund, let’s say?

Witness: The market may have all the elements of secrecy, but the minister will have knowledge.

Mrs. Gerovasili, responding to the president’s question if she knows the accused, replied that she knew from the ministry and not personally the owner of the company Krikel, which has been associated with the Greek police since 2014, when a secret contract was signed for the maintenance and operation of the Greek police’s operating systems.

“During my ministry, I did not pay the company because the systems were not working. I reached out to have the contract renegotiated, but was unable to get through to the company and duly requested that another system be found and purchased. Then I left the post,” said the witness.