The founder of the spyware firm Intellexa, Tal Dilian, has announced plans to appeal a Greek court’s conviction following charges that he and three other executives unlawfully accessed personal data during a large-scale wiretapping operation in Greece. This incident, often dubbed the “Greek Watergate,” involved the exploitation of Intellexa’s Predator spyware, which successfully hacked into numerous phones belonging to high-ranking officials, opposition leaders, military personnel, and journalists. The spyware is designed to infiltrate iPhones and Android devices, enabling the theft of text messages, call logs, emails, and location information by misleading users into clicking on malicious links.
In light of the scandal, several prominent Greek government figures, including the head of the national intelligence service and a top aide to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, resigned amid allegations of compromised journalist phones. Despite these significant resignations, no government officials have faced prosecution related to the spyware saga, prompting accusations of a cover-up against the Mitsotakis administration.
Dilian was sentenced in February to an eight-year prison term. He has since stated that he will not accept being made a “scapegoat” for actions that he suggests might involve complicity from the government in the hacks. His assertion marks a notable implication that the Mitsotakis administration may have sanctioned the surveillance activities.
Expressing his stance in a statement to Reuters, Dilian claimed that a conviction without substantive evidence cannot be regarded as justice, hinting at the potential for it to be a part of a broader cover-up or misconduct. He expressed readiness to provide evidence to both national and international regulators regarding the case.
Dilian, however, did not respond to requests for further comments. The Greek embassy in Washington, D.C., also did not provide an immediate reply to inquiries on the matter. He elaborated that surveillance tools like Predator are typically sold exclusively to governmental entities, which carry the obligation to ensure their lawful use.
Furthermore, in 2024, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on Dilian after findings emerged confirming that Predator had been employed to target phones of U.S. officials and journalists. These sanctions effectively outlaw any business arrangements with Dilian and his associates who are similarly sanctioned.
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