Spy ware makers sentenced to jail in Greece for wiretapping politicians and journalists

A Greek court on Thursday sentenced the founder of Intellexa, a collective of spyware makers, to eight years in prison for illegal wiretapping and privacy violations, according to several reports. 

Tal Dilian and three other Intellexa executives were tried for their role in a scandal dubbed “Greek Watergate,” which dates back to 2022. The Greek government was accused of wiretapping the phones of politicians, journalists, businesspeople, and military officials with spyware developed by Intellexa.

The other people sentenced today include Dilian’s business partner Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou; his former deputy administrator and shareholder of Intellexa, Felix Bitzios; and Yiannis Lavranos, who owned a company linked to Intellexa. 

Dilian did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment. 

This is the first known time a spyware maker has been sentenced to jail following the misuse of their technology.

In 2024, the U.S. government sanctioned Intellexa and several of its linked companies, Dilian, and Hamou, for their role in developing its spyware, known as Predator, used in the targeting of Americans, including government officials and journalists.

The court ordered authorities to further investigate, and stayed the sentence pending appeal.