Greek lawyer Zacharias Kesses says Tal Dilian, the founder of surveillance technology company Intellexa, has, for the first time, acknowledged in an Israeli court filing that he sold the Predator spyware to Greek state authorities, a claim that could add a significant new element to one of Greece's most politically sensitive surveillance scandals.
According to Kesses, Dilian made the admission in a defamation lawsuit he filed in Israel against a Greek citizen who says they were targeted with Predator spyware. The lawsuit, which is pending before an Israeli court, reportedly argues that the sale of Predator to Greek state authorities was entirely lawful. Kesses says Dilian does not deny that the spyware was supplied to Greece, but instead rejects allegations that he was involved in its alleged use for unlawful surveillance.
The filing has not yet been tested in court. The case is expected to proceed after the completion of pretrial proceedings in the coming months, when Dilian will be required to substantiate the factual claims contained in his lawsuit.
ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ
Kesses said he intends to submit the Israeli court filing to Greece's Prosecutor of the Supreme Court Evangelos Bakelas, arguing that it constitutes new official evidence warranting further investigation. He called on Greek prosecutors to obtain certified copies of the Israeli court documents through international judicial cooperation, incorporate them into the existing criminal investigation and question witnesses who, he says, have never been interviewed by the Greek authorities.
Among those Kesses says should be called to testify are Dilian himself, Intellexa Chief Technology Officer Merom Harpaz, Intellexa administrative executive Einat Semama, and three company technicians—Dimitrios Xypteras, Ioannis Toumbis and Ioannis Boliaris—whom he says have never given evidence in the Greek investigation.
"The case concerning the use of Predator spyware in Greece is not a private legal dispute," Kesses said. "It concerns the protection of the rule of law, the confidentiality of communications, and the investigation of a matter that has attracted attention both in Greece and internationally."
The Israeli lawsuit comes months after an Athens court convicted Tal Dilian and three associates—Sara Hamou, Felix Bitzios and Giannis Lavranos—over the Predator spyware affair. Each received a cumulative prison sentence of 126 years and eight months, capped at eight years under Greek law, with the sentences suspended pending appeal.
