A Greek court sentenced the founder of Intellexa to eight years in prison for illegal wiretapping and privacy violations, according to various reports. Tal Dilian and three other Intellexa executives were tried in a scandal called “Greek Watergate,” stemming from accusations in 2022 of the Greek government wiretapping phones of politicians, journalists, businesspeople, and military officials using Intellexa’s spyware.
The other convicted individuals include Dilian’s business partner Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou; Felix Bitzios, a former deputy administrator and shareholder of Intellexa; and Yiannis Lavranos, owner of a company connected to Intellexa.
Dilian did not comment on the situation when approached by TechCrunch.
This case marks the first instance of a spyware maker being sentenced to jail for technology misuse.
In 2024, the U.S. government had sanctioned Intellexa, Dilian, and Hamou for using their spyware, Predator, in targeting Americans, including government officials and journalists.
The court advised authorities to conduct further investigations and suspended the sentence pending appeal.