An Athens court has found four business figures linked to the ‘Predator’ wiretapping scandal that rocked Greece in 2022 guilty of massive violations of telephone confidentiality.
The case, which began unfolding in 2022, exposed a sprawling illegal wiretapping network that targeted the highest echelons of Greek society, including cabinet ministers, journalists, and top military brass.
The sentencing of defendants for the ‘Predator’ wiretapping
The Second Single-Member Misdemeanor Court of Athens handed down a combined prison sentence of 126 years and eight months to the four defendants of the spyware firm Intellexa. Under Greek sentencing laws, the defendants must serve a mandatory eight years of that term, though the sentence has been suspended pending an appeal.
The court found the following individuals guilty on multiple counts of unlawful access to private communication systems and data protection violations:
- Tal Dilian: The former Israeli intelligence officer and founder of Intellexa.
- Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou: Dilian’s business partner.
- Felix Bitzios: Former deputy administrator and shareholder of Intellexa.
- Yiannis Lavranos: Owner of Krikel, the company through which the “Predator” spyware was allegedly procured.
The court rejected all mitigating circumstances. Presiding Judge Nikos Askianakis stated that the evidence proved the defendants acted with “joint intent” to gain access to the personal data and private conversations of their targets.
The “Predatorgate” scandal
The scandal, dubbed “Predatorgate,” erupted in mid-2022 when Nikos Androulakis, leader of the PASOK party, discovered his phone had been targeted by the Predator spyware while serving as a Member of the European Parliament.
The investigation soon revealed a dual-track monitoring system: targets were being tracked via illegal spyware (Predator) and, in many cases, simultaneously placed under “legal” surveillance by Greece’s national intelligence agency, EYP.
Key repercussions of the scandal included:
- The resignation of Panagiotis Kontoleon, the head of EYP.
- The resignation of Grigoris Dimitriadis, the Prime Minister’s nephew and Chief of Staff, who held oversight of the intelligence services.
- The blacklisting of Intellexa and its associated entities by the U.S. Department of Commerce for engaging in activities contrary to U.S. national security interests.
A “weaponized” judiciary?
The verdict comes at a time of intense scrutiny regarding the independence of the Greek judiciary. While the government has consistently denied any involvement in the use of illegal spyware, the convictions of the business leaders behind the technology provide a rare moment of legal accountability.
Critics, however, note that while the “service providers” have been convicted, the ultimate “clients” or political orchestrators of the surveillance remain a subject of fierce public and parliamentary debate.
Related: Supreme Court Exonerates Greece Government Over Spyware Scandal
