Four individuals have been convicted and received jail sentences in Greece for their role in a 2022 wiretapping scandal. The case, dubbed "Greece's Watergate," involved the use of surveillance software known as Predator to target 87 individuals, including government ministers, senior military officials, and journalists.
The four defendants, who marketed the software, were found guilty by an Athens court of misdemeanors including violating telephone communication confidentiality and illegally accessing personal data. They were sentenced to lengthy jail terms, suspended pending appeal.
Predator spyware, 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, though a new law in 2022 has since legalized state security use of such software under strict conditions.
The scandal has raised questions about democratic accountability, with critics accusing the government of attempting to conceal the truth. The court noted the defendants may have acted with the participation of "unknown third parties," potentially including Greek and foreign intelligence officials, and has forwarded trial records for investigation into felonies like espionage.