The founder of spyware maker Intellexa says he plans to appeal a Greek court’s conviction on charges that he and three other executives illegally obtained personal data as part of a mass eavesdropping operation in the country.
The spying scandal, also known as “Greek Watergate,” involved the hacking of dozens of cell phones of Greek government officials, opposition leaders, military personnel, and journalists using Intellexa’s Predator spyware. This tool can infiltrate iPhone and Android devices and steal call logs, text messages, emails, and location data, usually by tricking the victim into clicking a malicious link.
Several Greek government officials, including the director of Greece’s national intelligence service and senior aide to the prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, have resigned following revelations that the cellphones of several journalists had been hacked. No government official has been convicted in connection with the surveillance, and critics have accused Mitsotakis’ government of a cover-up.
Intellexa founder Tal Dilian was convicted in February and sentenced to eight years in prison. In a statement first reported by Reuters on Wednesday, he said he would not be a “scapegoat.”
Whether Dillian is a scapegoat or not, as he claims, the statement is the most direct suggestion yet from someone inside Intellexa that the Mitsotakis government authorized the hack.
“I believe that a conviction without evidence is not justice. It is part of a cover-up and may even be a crime,” Dillian told Reuters. He said he was ready to share evidence with domestic and international regulators.
Dillian did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment on his remarks. The Greek embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request.
Dillian also told Reuters that surveillance technology like Predator is typically sold only to governments that are responsible for using it legally.
The U.S. government imposed sanctions on Dillian in 2024 after Predator was found to be used on the cellphones of U.S. officials and journalists. The sanctions effectively make it illegal for anyone to do business with Dillian and other sanctioned business associates.
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