Lawyer Points to Israeli Connection in Greek Spyware Scandal

Greek lawyer Zacharias Kesses, who represents victims of the Greek surveillance scandal, says Israeli businessman Tal Dilian will soon prove that he cooperated with Greece’s National Intelligence Service (EYP) and supplied it with the Predator spyware.

Speaking to MEGA News 104.6, Kesses described Dilian’s recent statement to Alpha Cyprus as a message to the Greek government and judicial authorities.

Dilian made the statement after Cypriot authorities ended their investigation into the so-called “black van” case. He said the connection between the Cyprus case and Greece’s surveillance scandal had relied on “a narrative and not the actual facts”.

Dilian said the “actual facts” and “evidence” would emerge through ongoing proceedings in Greece and expressed confidence that they would restore his reputation and reveal the truth.

Kesses said the Cyprus investigation began after Dilian publicly claimed that he possessed a €9 million van capable of compromising any device within a 500-metre radius. Those statements, he said, prompted the local authorities to intervene.

The lawyer also referred to findings by the European Parliament, which he said showed that 32 companies linked to surveillance technology were registered in Cyprus in 2020 and 2021. According to Kesses, the figure placed Cyprus among the world’s top five countries in the sector.

Kesses said authorities initially brought 92 charges against Dilian in connection with the case. A confidential decision suspended 49 of those charges, he said.

For the remaining 43 charges, Kesses said Dilian’s company admitted wrongdoing and reached a settlement with the local prosecutor, resulting in a €76,000 financial penalty. Cyprus’s data protection authority also imposed a fine of almost €1 million over violations of personal data, he said.

Kesses linked those developments to Dilian’s decision to move his main business operations from Cyprus to Greece in 2020.

A significant coincidence

Kesses also highlighted what he described as a significant coincidence involving the timing of the Cyprus settlement and the export of the surveillance van.

The settlement between Dilian and the Cypriot authorities took place on February 22, 2022. According to Kesses, on the same day the Greek government secured an export licence to Sudan for the equipment, with the export taking place from Greece through Larnaca Airport in Cyprus.

Kesses said Dilian’s latest comments to Alpha Cyprus amount to a message to both the Greek government and judicial authorities.

He interpreted Dilian’s reference to evidence as an indication that material could emerge during the appeal proceedings or before then. Kesses also said Dilian appeared to suggest that those who promoted the narrative that private individuals acted independently would soon have to acknowledge the truth.

According to Kesses, Dilian will “very soon prove” that he worked with EYP and supplied the Predator spyware.

He also suggested that evidence could become public before December 8, saying he expected Dilian to appear before a court where the circumstances of his alleged involvement would be examined, including whether he acted independently or at the direction of EYP.

Call for further investigation

Kesses also pointed to a complaint filed by a former senior EYP official who, according to the lawyer, held a critical position within the intelligence service at the time and continues to serve there.

He called on the Areios Pagos Prosecutor’s Office, Greece’s highest prosecutorial authority, to examine the complaint carefully.

Kesses argued that investigators could make significant progress simply by taking witness statements, examining mobile phones and tracing personal data allegedly extracted from devices.

He said such steps could bring authorities closer to establishing what happened in the surveillance case.

Stay updated with the latest news from Greece and around the world on greekcitytimes.com.
Contact our newsroom to share your updates, stories, photos, or videos. Follow GCT on Google News and Apple News.