Startup Founder Sentenced to 126 Years in Prison Following Journalist's Report
The founder of surveillance startup Intellexa and three others have been found guilty in a data breach case spanning the period 2020-2021. A Greek court has sentenced each of the four defendants to prison terms of up to 126 years and 8 months. However, the actual time to be served behind bars is limited to 8 years. The verdict is currently pending appeal.
The four defendants are accused of involvement in a wiretapping scandal that rocked Greece since 2022. The scandal emerged following allegations from a financial journalist and the leader of the main opposition Socialist party, PASOK, that they had been under state surveillance through malicious software installed on their mobile phones.
In 2024, the prosecutor of Greece’s Supreme Court suspended the case against the state intelligence service, EYP, and referred the four defendants for trial on allegations of minor violations. The Misdemeanour Court in Athens then on Thursday 26 February local time sentenced each of the four defendants to 126 years and 8 months imprisonment, although the actual time they must spend in prison is limited to 8 years.
The court also referred the case back to the prosecutor for further investigation into other crimes and more serious violations that may have been committed, including espionage.
Intellexa founder Tal Dilian and three other defendants associated with the Greece-based company did not submit a formal defence. However, all denied the charges against them.
The mobile phone of journalist Thanasis Koukakis was infected with Predator spyware, which was developed by Cytrox, a surveillance company within the Intellexa consortium, according to court documents. Traces of Predator were subsequently found on dozens of mobile phones, including those belonging to politicians, ministers, intelligence service employees, and business executives.
The case has shaken the centre-right government, resulting in the dismissal of the head of EYP and the prime minister’s chief of staff. The government, which has denied wrongdoing or deliberately wiretapping anyone, survived a vote of no confidence on this matter in 2023.
Koukakis, one of the complainants, said he was pleased with the verdict. Another complainant told Reuters that the outcome was vindictive.