The “Predator scandal”, a case that rocked the Greek political scene, has taken a new turn, after the lawyer of one of the victims of the illegal spyware surveillance filed a formal request for the re-opening of the case, in light of recent statements to the Greek media outlet “Esfyn” by the founder of the Israeli spyware and surveillance technology firm Intellexa Tal Dilian.
The legal representative of Greek journalist Thanasis Kokkinakis, one of the victims, submitted his client’s request to the Council of State (CoS) Prosecutor in Athens on Thursday, June 4.
During the interview with “EfSyn”, Tal Dilian, who was convicted by a primary trial court in Greece, argued that neither he nor his company operated the Predator spyware in Greece. He claimed that only governments and intelligence services could do so, indirectly implying the involvement of either the Greek intelligence service or a foreign government in illegal surveillance operations on Greek soil, according to a legal filing submitted in the case.
The founder of Intellexa maintained that his company sells exclusively to state agencies in compliance with all applicable regulations and has never operated any system in Greece.
The filing argues that, in light of the undisputed use of Predator spyware in Greece, Dilian’s claims lead to the conclusion that the illegal surveillance was conducted either by the Greek National Intelligence Service or by a foreign government or intelligence agency.
“The possible surveillance of senior political and military officials and senior intelligence figures by foreign governments or foreign intelligence services poses an incalculable threat to national security,” the filing states, adding that this risk makes it impossible to dismiss Dilian’s statement simply on the grounds that he is a defendant in the case.
The filing calls for Dilian and his co-defendants — Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou, Felix Bitzios, and Yiannis Lavranos — to substantiate their claims with evidence, and for specific named Intellexa executives who played significant roles in the company’s Greek operations to be summoned to testify.
According to sources, surveillance victims are reportedly preparing to file the first civil damages claims against those already convicted at first instance, while they are also considering referring the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
The surveillance affair—often referred to as the “Predator scandal”—has been an issue of major political acrimony in Greece since 2022, involving allegations that politicians, including the current leader of PASOK Nikos Androulakis, journalists, top military brass and government officials were monitored using illegal spyware created by technology firm Intellexa, raising concerns about state accountability and institutional oversight. The matter led to the resignation of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s nephew and Chief of Staff Grigoris Dimitriadis.
The outrage first surfaced after allegations by PASOK party leader Nikos Androulakis and a local financial reporter who alleged they were targets of surveillance by the national intelligence service (EYP) via the cell phone spyware Predator.
