The long-running surveillance controversy in Greece has entered a new and explosive phase after the founder of the commercial spyware firm Intellexa stated that his company sells its technology exclusively to governments. The admission has reignited fierce political debate in Athens, with opposition parties arguing that the statement undermines the government’s longstanding claim that the controversial spyware was operated solely by private actors.

Tal Dilian, a former Israeli intelligence officer and founder of the Intellexa consortium, made the comments in a written statement to the Greek investigative television program “MEGA Stories.” His remarks came just weeks after he and several associates were convicted in a landmark wiretapping case that exposed widespread use of the Predator spyware platform in Greece.

Dilian was sentenced to more than 126 years in prison-alongside three co-defendants-for their roles in deploying the spyware in what prosecutors described as an extensive domestic surveillance operation. Although the cumulative sentences appear severe, Greek law caps the maximum time served for such convictions at eight years. All four defendants retain the right to appeal the ruling.

The case centers on the Predator spyware, a highly sophisticated surveillance tool capable of infiltrating smartphones and extracting sensitive data, including messages, contacts, and microphone recordings. Predator belongs to a class of digital espionage technologies increasingly used by governments worldwide, often under the justification of combating terrorism or organized crime. However, critics warn that such tools can easily be abused to monitor journalists, political opponents, and civil society figures.

In his statement, Dilian insisted that Intellexa itself does not conduct surveillance operations. Instead, he emphasized that the company provides its technology strictly to government authorities operating under legal frameworks.

“We operate strictly under European and international export regulations, providing technology exclusively to authorized governments and law enforcement agencies,” Dilian said.

He further argued that once such technology is sold, the responsibility for how it is used lies entirely with the purchasing government.

“The lawful use of such systems rests with the sovereign authorities that acquire and operate them,” he added.

Despite Dilian’s attempt to distance Intellexa from the operational deployment of Predator, his statement has had the opposite effect politically. Opposition leaders immediately seized on the remarks as evidence that the Greek state must have been involved in the surveillance campaign.

Among the most vocal critics is Nikos Androulakis, the leader of the center-left PASOK party, who himself was a confirmed target of Predator spyware. Androulakis has repeatedly accused the government of orchestrating an extensive domestic espionage network and concealing its involvement.

“Predator and illegal surveillance were the weapons of a deep state, set up by the prime minister and the Maximos Mansion,” Androulakis said, referring to the office of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “Half of his cabinet, the heads of the armed forces, journalists, and state officials were illegally monitored.”

According to Androulakis, Dilian’s acknowledgment that Intellexa sells only to governments undermines the government’s central defense that rogue private actors were responsible for operating the spyware.

“If the technology was supplied exclusively to governments, then the narrative that private individuals conducted these operations collapses,” he argued.

The Greek government has strongly rejected these accusations. Officials insist that the court’s recent convictions demonstrate that responsibility lies with private individuals who acquired and misused the software independently of the state.

Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis dismissed Androulakis’ statements as politically motivated. Speaking to SKAI television, he argued that the opposition was exploiting the issue to distract from its own internal problems.

“Even a kindergarten child understands that Mr. Androulakis is using the wiretaps as an attempt to distract from the huge internal political crisis he is having,” Marinakis said.

He also pointed to earlier judicial findings that cleared government officials of criminal involvement in the scandal. According to the government, the investigation by Greece’s Supreme Court concluded that there was insufficient evidence to implicate state institutions directly.

Yet the controversy continues to deepen as other opposition leaders have joined the criticism. Sokratis Famellos, head of the Syriza party, described the situation as a profound institutional crisis that threatens the credibility of democratic governance in Greece.

“Pandora’s box has been opened,” Famellos said, arguing that the revelations demonstrate the need for a far more extensive investigation into the use of spyware.

Gabriel Sakellaridis, secretary of the New Left party, went even further, claiming Dilian’s statement effectively confirms that government institutions must have been the clients purchasing the surveillance technology.

“The claim that private actors were operating Predator without state involvement is no longer credible,” Sakellaridis said.

The surveillance scandal has been simmering in Greece for several years, but it erupted into a full political crisis in 2022 when it emerged that multiple public figures-including politicians, journalists, and senior officials-had been targeted with spyware. The discovery triggered parliamentary investigations, resignations within the intelligence apparatus, and widespread scrutiny of the government’s oversight of surveillance activities.

One of the most damaging revelations was that Androulakis’ phone had been targeted with Predator shortly after he announced his candidacy for the leadership of PASOK. Around the same time, it was also revealed that Greece’s National Intelligence Service (EYP) had legally placed him under surveillance through traditional wiretapping methods. The combination of these two developments fueled suspicions that state agencies may have been connected to the spyware campaign.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis acknowledged at the time that mistakes had been made in the oversight of intelligence operations but denied any knowledge of illegal spyware targeting. The government subsequently introduced legislative reforms aimed at tightening regulations around surveillance activities.

Despite these measures, critics argue that the reforms failed to fully address the broader issue of how sophisticated spyware technologies are being used within democratic societies.

International attention has also intensified around Intellexa and similar spyware vendors. In 2024, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the Intellexa consortium, accusing it of developing and distributing spyware that had been used to target American citizens, including government officials and journalists.

The sanctions were part of a broader effort by the United States to curb the global proliferation of commercial spyware tools that can be used for transnational repression and political surveillance.

For Greece, the latest developments threaten to reopen one of the most politically damaging controversies of recent years. While the court ruling against Dilian and his associates appeared to close part of the legal chapter surrounding the Predator scandal, his recent statement has reignited debate over who ultimately authorized and benefited from the surveillance operations.

As appeals proceed and political tensions escalate, the case continues to raise difficult questions about the relationship between governments and the rapidly expanding global spyware industry. Critics argue that without stronger oversight mechanisms and international regulation, similar scandals could emerge in democracies around the world.

For now, Dilian’s remarks have ensured that the Greek surveillance saga is far from over. Instead, they have injected new uncertainty into a controversy that already tested the country’s political institutions and public trust in state authority.

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Source: Weekly Blitz :: Writings