Government sources responded sharply to PASOK following the party’s statement—issued by its spokesperson Charilaos Trikoupis—regarding reports of a proposed amendment that could lead to favorable treatment for Tal Dilian, founder of Intellexa. The Israeli firm has been linked to the sale of the Predator spyware and widespread surveillance operations.
‘Staircase of Despair’ Rhetoric Escalates Tensions
‘If someone is descending the staircase of despair and decline at ever-increasing speed after every opinion poll, that is PASOK under Nikos Androulakis,’ government sources said—echoing Trikoupis’s earlier use of the term ‘decline’ in PASOK’s own statement.
The government categorically rejected the opposition’s allegations, stating that PASOK rushed to issue a statement ‘based on a journalistic report with no factual foundation.’ Government sources emphasized that the matter has been ‘repeatedly debunked’ and remains unsubstantiated.
PASOK’s Statement Sparks Back-and-Forth
Earlier, Trikoupis had released a hard-hitting announcement demanding that the government clarify whether reports—first aired by MEGA—about a draft amendment benefiting Dilian were true. PASOK accused the government of responding with ‘silence’ and urged the government spokesperson to take a public position.
In its statement, PASOK asked whether the government was engineering a soft landing for the ‘Israeli former officer who publicly blackmails the prime minister’—linking the issue directly to the Predator surveillance scandal and Intellexa’s role in it.
Trikoupis added that, according to the same reports, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis reportedly oppose the plan—seeking to shift pressure onto internal government dynamics.
PASOK further escalated its rhetoric, questioning whether the government would go so far as to ‘legislate on the instructions of convicted individuals’—reaching what it described as the ‘final step of decline.’
Shortly afterward, government sources fired back in kind, accusing Trikoupis of seeking political oxygen after each new opinion poll.