Spyware makers sentenced to prison in Greece for eavesdropping on politicians and journalists

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

Tal Dilian and three other Intellexa executives were put on trial for their roles in a scandal dubbed “Greek Watergate,” dating back to 2022. The Greek government has been accused of wiretapping the phones of politicians, journalists, businessmen, and military officials using spyware developed by Intellexa.

Others sentenced today include Delian’s business partner, Sarah Alexandra Faisal Hamo; his former deputy director and Intellexa shareholder, Felix Petzius; and Yiannis Lavranos, who owned a company associated with Intellexa.

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

This is the first known time that a spyware maker has been sentenced to prison after misusing his technology.

In 2024, the US government imposed sanctions on Intellexa and several related companies, Dilian and Hamo, for their role in developing its spyware, known as Predator, used to target Americans, including government officials and journalists.

The court ordered the authorities to conduct further investigations, and kept the ruling pending appeal.