Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is facing mounting criticism and a loss of public trust over allegations that he was complicit in an operation to bug the phone of an opposition leader. 

After it was revealed that the mobile phone of Nikos Androulakis, the leader of the center-left PASOK party, had been tapped by the Greek secret services, MPs have been called back to Athens to reconvene parliament a week earlier than scheduled to discuss the scandal.  

"The words bothered, pressured, and disappointed are only a few that can describe how we feel at the moment," said PASOK spokesperson, Dimitris Mantzos.

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"Besides the political pressure Mr. Androulakis is facing, the toll this has taken on him as an individual, a husband, a regular citizen is tremendous, also for his family and people surrounding him. So we are going into that meeting at the end of the month feeling all the above."

The discovery comes after Androulakis filed charges at Greece's Supreme Court ten days ago over attempted cellphone tapping after he was notified to suspicions by the European Parliament.

The PASOK leader said the government has "systematically tried to play down the issue."

But within minutes of the wiretapping being made public, the head of the secret service resigned.

Adding to the turmoil in Athens, the general secretary of the prime minister's office also quit on the same day.

Greece's embattled leader told the nation on Monday he did not know about the eavesdropping, saying that while it was technically legal, he accepted that it was wrong.

The news has caused widespread suspicion in Greece that other lines may be being tapped.

"How do know that when I leave this studio and speak on the phone no one will be listening?" asked the PASOK spokesperson. "I don't want anyone to listen to me, not only private corporations, but I not even my own country. Why should they be listening, what have I or anyone that is being tapped done?"

It's been close to 50 years since a military junta took over power in Greece and made bugging of citizens commonplace. 

Fast-forwarding to today those memories are prompting concern that if security services can listen in on a political leader, they may also have their phones tapped, with some making comparisons to the U.S. watergate scandal that brought down president Richard Nixon in 1974.  

As the days pass and anger grows, a full enquiry has been requested into the case.