An Athens court on Thursday convicted four defendants in Greece’s Predator spyware trial, delivering the first criminal verdict in a surveillance scandal that has raised persistent rule-of-law concerns and gripped the country for years.
After 39 hearings before the Single-Member Misdemeanor Court of Athens, Presiding Judge Nikos Askianakis found Tal Dilian, Sara Hamou, Felix Bitzios and Giannis Lavranos guilty of multiple offenses tied to illegal interference with personal data systems and violations of the secrecy of communications.
Each defendant was sentenced to a total of 126 years and eight months in prison, with eight years to be served and the remainder suspended pending appeal.
Reading the decision from the bench, the judge said the verdict was based on the court’s assessment of the full body of evidence, particularly witness testimony and documentary material introduced during the trial. He said the court determined that the defendants acted jointly and in cooperation with third parties, carrying out the attributed acts with common intent. The detailed reasoning behind the ruling will be published once the decision is formally issued in writing.
A significant procedural shift also shaped the outcome. The court accepted the prosecutor’s proposal to reclassify the charges from “continued” offenses to “concurrent” offenses, a distinction in Greek criminal law that affects how separate acts are counted and sentenced.
The court noted that in 20 cases only test messages had been sent, meaning the alleged criminal acts could not be substantiated in those instances. One additional message sent on Jan. 11, 2021, contained a genuine link, and a similar message had also been received by another individual. From the original 116 alleged targets, those exclusions reduced the number to 94. After accounting for overlapping identities, the court determined that the concurrent offenses corresponded to 87 victims.
The judge also ordered a permanent cessation of prosecution for 108 individuals who did not file a formal complaint, as required under Greek law for certain privacy-related crimes.
The convictions concern misdemeanor offenses, including interference with a personal data filing system, violation of the confidentiality of telephone and oral communications, and illegal access to an information system or data. In each case, the court found the acts were committed jointly and encompassed both completed offenses and attempts.
Who Has Been Convicted
- Tal Dilian: A former Israeli soldier and the founder of Intellexa, the company associated with the development and trading of the Predator spyware.
- Sara Hamou: Dilian’s former wife, who held a managerial role in Entellexa and also played a central role in establishing Cyprus as a hub for Intellexa’s activities. She also co-founded the skincare company Medovie, which says it blends traditional Chinese medicine with advanced Western research.
- Felix Bitzios: A businessman described as the beneficial owner of Intellexa.
- Giannis Lavranos: Linked to the company Krikel, which purchased the Predator spyware
Intellexa is the company at the center of the Predator spyware case. It was sanctioned by the United States in 2024 under then-President Joe Biden. The sanctions were lifted the following year by President Donald Trump.