In what may prove to be the more consequential Greek story of the day, a firestorm erupted over the decision by Supreme Court Prosecutor Konstantinos Tzavellas not to pull the Predator spyware case from the archives — despite significant new evidence emerging from a recent criminal trial.
Earlier this year, a single-judge criminal court in Athens convicted four individuals — including Tal Dilian, Sara Hamou, Felix Bitzio, and Yannis Lavrano — in connection with the Predator spyware operation. The malware, capable of seizing total control of a target’s device — microphones, cameras, encrypted apps — was deployed against some of Greece’s most senior national security figures: the foreign minister, the minister of citizen protection, the chief of the armed forces, and the head of the Hellenic Police.
The trial court had referred the case back to the Supreme Court prosecutor, requesting an investigation into espionage charges and the possible connection between Greece’s National Intelligence Service (EYP) and the Predator software. Tzavellas declined, finding no new evidence warranting action.
The reaction was swift and furious. Christos Rammos, former head of Greece’s Authority for Communication Security and Privacy, said simply: “I am speechless.” PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis, himself a confirmed surveillance target, accused the government of backroom negotiations with Dilian, calling the prosecutor’s decision an assault on “the credibility of Justice itself.” Androulakis announced plans for a parliamentary inquiry committee and hinted at fears that the government might amend the penal code to reduce Dilian’s sentence — a potential quid pro quo.
Meanwhile, in a related courtroom development, the anonymous pro-government internet troll known as “Georgy Zhukov” — one of the most prolific online defenders of the ruling New Democracy party — was unmasked as Theodosis Mougios and convicted of defamation. The case exposed the shadowy ecosystem of partisan digital warfare that has accompanied the wiretapping scandal.
Adding to the judicial backdrop, the trial for the 2023 Tempi rail disaster — Greece’s deadliest train crash — was adjourned until May 27 due to renovations in the courtroom.
