Testimony heard on Monday in Athens has sharpened scrutiny of Greece’s handling of a surveillance scandal that has raised persistent concerns among European institutions over the rule of law, transparency and political accountability.
During proceedings at the Athens Court of First Instance, a former executive assistant with specialist administrative knowledge testified that Yiannis Lavranos exercised de facto control over Krikel, a Greek communications and security company accused of facilitating unlawful surveillance operations. Prosecutors have long linked Lavranos to Greece’s domestic spyware ecosystem.
Her account directly contradicts defence claims that Lavranos had no operational role at Krikel.
The proceedings form part of a broader judicial investigation into the alleged deployment of Predator, a powerful commercial spyware tool capable of covertly accessing smartphones. Predator has been linked by journalists, prosecutors and European investigators to the surveillance of politicians, journalists and senior officials in Greece, as well as to exports to third countries with weak human rights protections. The case has drawn comparisons with other spyware scandals across Europe and prompted inquiries by the European parliament.
Four business figures are central to the trial: Yiannis Lavranos, described by prosecutors as the true power behind Krikel, along with Felix Bitzios, Tal Dilian, and Sara Hamou of Intellexa, the consortium associated with Predator.
The key witness, Evangelia (Lina) Katsouda, previously worked for more than a decade as Bitzios’ personal secretary before joining Krikel in 2021. She told the court that she was hired directly by Lavranos and took instructions from him throughout her employment, which ended in late 2022. While Krikel’s technical operations were overseen by Sotiris Dallas, she testified that strategic and managerial authority rested with Lavranos.
Significant attention was paid to export licence applications for surveillance technology submitted to Greece’s foreign ministry. Katsouda testified that she was listed as the contact person on applications involving Sudan, Madagascar and Ukraine, but said the files had been prepared by Lavranos, with technical input from Merom Harpaz, an associate linked to Intellexa. She said her role was purely administrative and that she had been uneasy about at least one application involving Ukraine during wartime.
This testimony carries additional weight in light of a decision announced on December 30 2025 by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which removed Harpaz, along with Andrea Gambazzi and Hamou, from its list of specially designated nationals. All three had previously been linked to the Intellexa consortium. A US official told Reuters that the individuals had “demonstrated measures to separate themselves from the Intellexa Consortium.”
Beyond questions of corporate governance, the testimony also touched on allegations of political protection. Katsouda told the court that it was widely said within the company that there was no cause for concern “as long as New Democracy is in power”, referring to Greece’s governing party. While she could not attribute the remark to a specific individual, she said the sentiment was commonly repeated internally. Defence lawyers deny any political backing and reject claims of government involvement.
The Greek government has repeatedly stated that it neither purchased nor used Predator and has denied institutional links to Intellexa or affiliated companies. Nonetheless, the scandal has already led to the resignation of senior officials and to legislative changes tightening oversight of intelligence services.
The trial continues today with testimony from Eliza Triantafyllou of the investigative outlet Inside Story, which played a central role in uncovering the spyware network.
