Prosecutor wants US suspect to face trial for wiretapping

Prosecutor Maria-Sofia Vaitsi on Thursday proposed that an American citizen, William Basil, be indicted to trial on spying charges in connection with a wiretapping system set up to eavesdrop on top Greek government officials during and after the Athens 2004 Olympics.

Basil, an American agent, left Greece after the wiretaps were discovered in 2006 and his whereabouts remain unknown.

His alleged role in the wiretapping was uncovered by anti-corruption magistrate Dimitris Foukas, who also investigated claims of a 2008 plan to assassinate then conservative prime minister Costas Karamanlis.

In a parallel case, Vaitsi proposed that three people - Michalis Karchimakis, a former PASOK deputy and aide to ex-Socialist premier George Papandreou, and two former officials at the National Intelligence Service (EYP) - face trial for violating state secrets.

Karchimakis is...