Former Greek MEP files complaint against Israeli spyware firm over alleged Pegasus surveillance

Greek journalist and former European Parliament member Stelios Kouloglou filed a criminal complaint Monday against officials at Israeli spyware maker NSO Group, alleging that his phone was infected with Pegasus while he was serving on a parliamentary inquiry into surveillance software, Anadolu reports.

The complaint was submitted to the Athens prosecutor’s office, Greek public broadcaster ERT reported. Kouloglou said a forensic examination by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab found that his phone had been infected around Oct. 21, 2022, and again on March 6 and 7, 2023.

At the time, Kouloglou was a substitute member of the European Parliament committee investigating the use of Pegasus, Predator and similar spyware. The complaint said the alleged infections coincided with significant phases of the committee’s work.

Kouloglou alleges that the spyware could have given those responsible access to communications, contacts, documents, location information and data related to his political work. The complaint seeks an investigation into alleged breaches of communications privacy, unauthorized access to data and violations of personal data law.

After filing the complaint, Kouloglou said surveillance was an issue affecting all citizens and expressed hope that Greek prosecutors would investigate. His lawyer, Zacharias Kesses, said no action had previously been taken despite the allegations being known.