A Greek court on Thursday sentenced the founder of spyware group Intellexa to eight years in prison for illegal eavesdropping and invasion of privacy, according to multiple reports.
Tal Dirian and three other Intellexa executives were put on trial for their role in a scandal known as “Greek Watergate” dating back to 2022. The Greek government has been accused of using spyware developed by Intellexa to wiretap the phones of politicians, journalists, businessmen and military personnel.
Others sentenced today include Dillian's business partner Sara Alexandra Faisal Hamou. his former deputy administrator and Intellexa shareholder, Felix Bitzios; and Yiannis Lavranos, who owned a company related to Intellexa.
Dillian did not respond to TechCrunch's request for comment.
This is the first known prison sentence for a spyware maker for misusing its technology.
In 2024, the U.S. government sanctioned Intellexa and several of its affiliates, Dilian and Hamou, for their involvement in developing spyware known as Predator, which targets Americans, including government officials and journalists.
The court ordered authorities to investigate further and the verdict was put on hold pending appeal.
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