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A Greek court on Thursday handed down more than 126 years in prison each to three people tied to the spyware company Intellexa S.A. and a fourth associated with a supplier firm for violating communications secrecy and data protection laws, in the first landmark convictions stemming from a yearslong international spyware scandal.
The defendants can appeal the verdict and the sentence.
The court found that Intellexa’s software, Predator, was used to surveil at least 87 verified victims, including journalists, politicians, military officials, business figures, and members of civil society.
Some of the victims were present in the courtroom when the sentences were announced, and prosecutors referred the case for further investigation of both the defendants and other individuals identified during the proceedings.
“With today’s decision, the Greek judiciary has shown that when it wants, it can act as a guarantor of the personal rights of citizens and sent a message that those who act arbitrarily by violating private personal data and family life by intruding into citizens’ communications will not go unpunished,” said Predator target and journalist Thanasis Koukakis. “In any case, it created second thoughts for anyone who wants to break the law in the future.”
The four convicted individuals — Tal Dilian, a former Israeli intelligence officer and the founder of Intellexa; Felix Bitzios, a shareholder in the company; Sara Aleksandra Hamou, Intellexa’s business manager; and Giannis Lavranos, owner of Krikel, a supplier linked to Predator procurement — each received sentences of 126 years and eight months. Under Greek law, the maximum time to be served for the misdemeanor convictions is capped at eight years.
Prosecutor Dimitris Pavlidis told the court that the evidence and testimonies warranted further investigation into potential criminal liability, including felony charges of espionage. “From the evidence presented, the testimonies, the documents submitted, I conclude that the case file needs to be transferred to the prosecutor for further investigation of criminal liability,” he said.
The court also ruled that Intellexa itself should be investigated. The firm has sold Predator to governments and law enforcement agencies worldwide, including to authoritarian regimes. In 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the Intellexa consortium for “developing, operating, and distributing commercial spyware technology used to target Americans, including U.S. government officials, journalists, and policy experts.”
The misdemeanor court’s ruling undermines the 2024 decision by the Greek Supreme Court that cleared the National Intelligence Service (EYP) and state officials of criminal involvement.
The investigation will continue into “other acts, such as the felony of espionage, the violation of state secrets, the trafficking of spyware, and the participation of third parties — whether they are individuals on the payroll of the EYP, belong to various services, or are executives of the defendants’ companies,” said Zacharias Kesses, a lawyer for the prosecution.
