Greek victims file lawsuit against Intellexa over Predator spyware

Greek victims file lawsuit against Intellexa over Predator spyware

Eight Greeks who were snooped on by Predator spyware sued the surveillance tech manufacturer Intellexa on Tuesday, as well as 13 individuals tied to the company.

The victims are asking for about €7.6 million ($8.7 million) total in compensation, their lawyer Zacharias Kesses told a local news outlet.

The damages are sought to make up “for the moral damage suffered by the victims from the illegal violation of their privacy, the confidentiality of their communications and their personal data” due to the confirmed presence of spyware on their devices, Kesses said in a statement provided to the Greek outlet Ekathimerini.

The use of the spyware came to light in 2022, with traces of Predator found on dozens of phones. The scandal led to the resignation of Greece’s intelligence service chief and the prime minister’s chief of staff. In February, a Greek court sentenced Intellexa’s founder and three associates to prison due to their role in the scandal.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include a former Meta security manager, financial journalist Thanassis Koukakis, two lawyers, a former director of the Hellenic Police’s Forensic Laboratories, the former head of a Greek intelligence agency, journalist Spyridon Sideris and a former intelligence and law enforcement official.

“The lawsuits detail the structure, operation and division of roles of the network of companies and individuals associated with the development, distribution and use of Predator,” Kesses told the Greek outlet. “This process constitutes the next institutional step towards full accountability of all those involved and redress for victims, both at national and European level.”

A trial will start in April 2027. Kesses did not respond to a request for comment.

While Intellexa’s founder Tal Dilian and his associates were sentenced to more than 126 years in prison, under Greek law they will only serve 8 years. They remain free until the appeals process ends.

In March, weeks after the sentences were handed down, Dilian told a local news outlet that he was taking the fall for the Greek government’s misdeeds, saying Intellexa sold Predator to government-only customers, and in this case to the Greek government and its national intelligence agency.

Dillian accused the government and intelligence agency of committing a "conspiratorial criminal act" designed to hide their own malfeasance. He asserts that Intellexa provides the spyware to government customers and plays no role in identifying targets.