In a major case that shocked Greece, two Greeks and two Israelis were found guilty of “violating the secrecy of telephone communications.”
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Published February 26, 2026
A Greek court has sentenced four people, including two Israelis, to prison over a massive wiretapping scandal involving the illegal use of Predator software that targeted dozens of politicians, journalists, business leaders and military personnel.
The scandal, dubbed “Greece’s Watergate” by local media, engulfed Greece in 2022 following claims by opposition leader Nikos Androulakis and journalist Thanassis Koukakis that they were under state surveillance using phone malware.
On Wednesday, a judge in Athens’ Second Single-Member Misdemeanor Court said the four were found guilty of “violating the confidentiality of telephone communications.”
The judge said the defendants, who were not present in court, were also found guilty of “repeatedly tampering with the personal data submission system” and “unlawful access to information systems or data.”
The four include Tal Dilian, a former Israeli military officer and founder of spyware specialist Intellexa, which sold Predator in Greece. His business partner and two former Greek executives at the company were also put on trial.
According to Greek media reports, the court announced a total prison sentence of 126 years and eight months, of which eight months must be served. The four will remain free pending an appeal at the request of their lawyers.
The scandal erupted in early 2022 after Koukakis, an investigative journalist, discovered that he had been wiretapped by the intelligence agency (EYP) and was also infected with Predator, a sophisticated software that allows people to hack into their phones, access their messages and photos, and even remotely control their microphones and cameras.
The independent communications privacy authority ADAE said Predator had been used against more than 90 people.
Some of EYP’s targets at the time were the same people whose phones were infected with Predator, according to an expert report included in documents obtained by Reuters.
Greece’s right-wing government has announced that it was legally monitoring the communications of Socialist Party leader Nikos Androulakis. He denies any wrongdoing.
The scandal prompted a judicial investigation and forced the resignation of senior officials in Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ government. Among them is a senior aide to conservative leader and EYP head Panagiotis Contreon.
Mitsotakis subsequently survived a no-confidence motion in parliament over the incident.
