A recent two-year investigation in Greece has absolved the country’s security agencies of any involvement in an international spyware scandal that led to sanctions by the United States earlier this year. Supreme Court prosecutor Georgia Adilini announced on Tuesday that there was no evidence linking Greece’s National Intelligence Service, police force, or anti-terrorism division to the use of Predator spyware, which had allegedly targeted government critics.
The spyware was reported to have targeted numerous prominent individuals in Greece, including Nikos Androulakis, the current leader of a Socialist party and the third-largest party in parliament. Despite the investigation's findings, left-wing and center-left opposition parties in Greece have accused the ruling conservatives of orchestrating a cover-up.
In response to the investigation, Androulakis criticized it as a “sham” and demanded that the full conclusions of the probe, detailed in a 300-page report that has not been made public, be shared with lawmakers. He condemned the practice of selling such software to authoritarian regimes, highlighting the potential risks to human rights activists and political opponents.
In March, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on individuals and companies in Greece, Ireland, Hungary, and North Macedonia, all linked to the Intellexa consortium, which was associated with the spyware. The sanctions were imposed due to the alleged use of the spyware against U.S. citizens by authoritarian regimes.
The Greek government defended itself by stating that the spyware was not the same as legally authorized wiretaps conducted by Greece’s National Intelligence Service. The government accused its opponents of spreading baseless allegations and misinformation.
The Predator spyware, according to U.S. authorities, can infect electronic devices through “zero-click attacks,” allowing secret data extraction, geolocation tracking, and access to personal information and applications. Amnesty International’s Security Lab reported last year that Predator had been used to target high-profile individuals, including political figures and lawmakers.
The alleged use of Predator spyware in Greece led to the resignation of two senior government officials in 2022. In response, Greek lawmakers passed legislation at the end of 2022 to prohibit the use, sale, or distribution of the spyware, with violations carrying a minimum penalty of a two-year prison sentence.
