Tal Dilian to Mega: ‘Predator Provided Exclusively to Govts, Security Authorities; They Define Targets’

The founder of spyware and surveillance technology firm Intellexa was quoted on Tuesday as saying he intends to appeal a conviction handed down by a Greek first instance misdemeanor court in connection with a wiretapping scandal that shook the country’s political foundations in 2022.

“Iremained silent during ​the trial, but I will not be a scapegoat,” Dilian told Mega Stories and Inside Story, while also stressing that he plans to seek legal recourse to international organizations.

The furor, dubbed “Predatorgate”, first surfaced after allegations by PASOK party leader Nikos Androulakis and a local financial reporter charged that they were targets of surveillance by the national intelligence service (EYP) via the cell​phone spyware Predator. The latter is billed as the “flagship” surveillance product produced and sold by Intellexa.

Referring to disgraced US President Richard Nixon and Watergate scandal, he said: “Our team developed preventive defense software and provides it legally and exclusively to authorized government and law enforcement authorities.”

The founder of spyware and surveillance technology firm Intellexa was quoted on Tuesday as saying he intends to appeal a conviction handed down by a Greek first instance misdemeanor court in connection with a wiretapping scandal that shook the country’s political foundations in 2022.

“Iremained silent during ​the trial, but I will not be a scapegoat,” Dilian told Mega Stories and Inside Story, while also stressing that he plans to seek legal recourse to international organizations.

The furor, dubbed “Predatorgate”, first surfaced after allegations by PASOK party leader Nikos Androulakis and a local financial reporter charged that they were targets of surveillance by the national intelligence service (EYP) via the cell​phone spyware Predator. The latter is billed as the “flagship” surveillance product produced and sold by Intellexa.

Referring to disgraced US President Richard Nixon and Watergate scandal, he said: “Our team developed preventive defense software and provides it legally and exclusively to authorized government and law enforcement authorities.”

Additionally, he maintained that “…by design, our software does not allow anyone besides the agency to know the targets and to be aware to the operations done by the national agencies. National agencies define the targets and execute the operation without our knowledge. We don’t know who made the interferences.”

His entire statement reads:

“In 2022 there were allegations that the government was illegally interfering political opponents and journalists’ phones. A Supreme Court Prosecutor, Georgia Adeilini, said that there was no evidence against members of the government and/or the EYP, but she found “inferences” against me and my wife, and she send my case to a trial,” Dilian said, adding:

“The evidence presented during the trial contradicted the Supreme Court Prosecutor analysis. The judgement did not quote a single piece of evidence exposing my personal intervention with the specific interferences. The ‘inferences’ against us disappear. The judgement did not identify when, where and how we supposedly sent the links to produce the interferences, did not invoke a technical report showing that I or someone working at my instructions produced the interferences. On the contrary many witnesses mentioned the possible intervention of the EYP.

“The judgement itself refers to the use of identities linked to senior government figures, yet no effort was made to fully investigate those directions.

“Our group developed a Pro-active defence software and legally provide it exclusively to authorized government and law-enforcement entities. These technologies are designed to support national security and public safety efforts of sovereign states, all under EU regulatory framework and legal standards. We do not operate systems; we do not conduct surveillance activities.

“By design, our software does not allow anyone besides the agency to know the targets and to be aware to the operations done by the national agencies. National agencies define the targets and execute the operation without our knowledge. We don’t know who made the interferences.

“I believe it is a crime for private individuals to interfere communications. But it is even more serious crime to organize a conspiracy crime to send innocent people to jail to cover up political authorities. Nixon lost his presidency in the Watergate case for try to cover up a tapping operation.
“I remained silent during the trial, but I will not be a scape goat. I will present my case before national, regional, and international institutions, including requesting the intervention of the UN Special Rapporteur on judicial independence.”