Responding to a landmark judgement by an Athens court which found four individuals linked to spyware maker Intellexa, guilty of unlawful access to private communication systems and data, and of violating privacy and data protection laws, Rebecca White, Amnesty International’s Security Lab Researcher said:
“Almost four years since the ‘Predatorgate’ scandal hit Greece, we are finally seeing consequences for those involved in the abuse of surveillance technology.
“Amnesty International and other organizations have shown time and again that Intellexa’s products have been used to mount brazen attacks against journalists, activists, academics and politicians around the world.
“We hope this landmark ruling signals the end of the era of impunity for the surveillance industry.
Rebecca White, Amnesty International’s Security Lab Researcher
“Questions remain about the role of the Greek government which has consistently denied purchasing or using Predator. Transparency is a crucial part of accountability – as is remedy for the many victims of the human rights violations brought about by the unlawful use of this technology.”
Background
The ‘Predatorgate’ scandal surfaced in March 2022 when journalist Thanasis Koukakis discovered that his phone had been infected with the highly invasive spyware, Predator and that he had been wiretapped by the Greek National Intelligence Service. Four months later, Nikos Androulakis, leader of the opposition party PASOK-KINAL, also discovered his phone had been targeted with Predator while serving as a Member of the European Parliament.
Numerous allegations, public outrage, parliamentary inquiries and criminal investigations followed. In July 2024, the Supreme Court cleared the intelligence services and political officials of wrong doing.
On 26 February 2026, the Athens court sentenced four individuals – Tal Dilian, a former Israeli intelligence officer and founder of Intellexa, Sara Hamou – Dilian’s business partner, Felix Bitzios – a former deputy administrator and shareholder of Intellexa and Yiannis Lavranos – owner of Kriel, the company through which Predator was allegedly procured, to 126 years and eight months in prison each, though the sentence has been suspended pending an appeal. A prosecutor has asked for their investigation along with eight others for espionage and any other people who maybe involved in the case citing the possibility of collaboration with foreign state forces.