Four Convicted Over Spyware Affair That Shook Greece

Source: Slashdot

Convictions

A Greek court convicted four individuals involved in marketing the Predator spyware that was at the centre of the 2022 wire‑tapping scandal. The defendants were found guilty of misdemeanours for violating the confidentiality of telephone communications and illegally accessing personal data and conversations.

The court sentenced them to lengthy jail terms, suspended pending appeal. Although each sentence totals 126 years, the maximum time actually served for misdemeanours in Greece is eight years.

Background of the Spyware Scandal

The episode, often referred to as “Greece’s Watergate,” involved the use of Predator surveillance software to target 87 people, including government ministers, senior military officials, and journalists. One‑third of those targeted were also under legal surveillance by Greece’s intelligence service (EYP).

The case originated in the summer of 2022 when Nikos Androulakis—then an MEP and now head of the Greek Socialist party PASOK—was warned by European Parliament IT experts about a malicious text message containing a link. Androulakis later learned that he had been tracked for “national security reasons” by the EYP.

Legal Context

Predator, marketed by the Athens‑based Israeli company Intellexa, can access a device’s messages, camera, and microphone. Its use was illegal in Greece at the time of the scandal. A law passed later in 2022 legalized the use of surveillance software by state security agencies, but only under strict conditions.

Political Reactions

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who placed the EYP directly under his supervision, called the affair a scandal. No government officials have been charged in court, and critics accuse the administration of attempting to conceal the full truth. The controversy has sparked a broader debate over democratic accountability and oversight of intelligence operations in Greece.