A development that took place in the previous 24 hours in Greece is considered compatible with the Cypriot investigation that has been ongoing since last March and concerns businessmen in the surveillance industry and their relations with officials of the Cypriot State.
The well-known Tal Dilian from the case that prevailed under the name "black van", filed a lawsuit against one of the victims of the illegal surveillance, claiming that he sold the Predator malware to the Greek Government.
Dilian, who used Cyprus as a base before expanding operations in Greece, in an official document puts forward the position that "he sold Predator to the state authorities in Greece, which in itself is completely legal (...)".
The value of the statement concerns Dilian's relations with the Greek state, which is also attributed by the public statement made by Zacharias Kesses, the lawyer of the eight confirmed victims of surveillance (based on a first-instance decision in Greece for the wiretapping), who have filed a lawsuit against Dilian.
Mr. Kesses, in particular, in a written report, notes, among other things, the following: "Tal Dilian, founder of Intellexa and a person who has been internationally identified with the Predator software, chose to take legal action against a victim of Predator in Greece, seeking compensation for alleged defamation. His lawsuit, however, includes an allegation of particular legal and evidential importance.
For the first time, officially, in writing and in a court document, he states that he himself sold Predator to the state authorities in Greece, claiming that this sale was completely legal. It does not deny the sale of Predator in Greece. On the contrary, it denies any involvement in the use of the software for illegal surveillance."
This written reference by Dilian in a court document relates to a parameter that directly concerns both the Independent Anti-Corruption Authority and its ongoing investigation. As we wrote recently, the Commissioner for Transparency and head of the Authority, Haris Pogiatzis, last March, in response to a question by Irini Charalambidou in Parliament, said indirectly but clearly that the surveillance case is under investigation.
Circles that spoke to "F" report that at the moment the Anti-Corruption Authority is in the preparatory stage of the investigation, gathering evidence, with the ultimate goal of appointing inspectors and formulating their terms of reference. In this context, as indicated by a source of our newspaper, "it is a given that the Authority is gathering data on the protagonists of the Cypriot surveillance scandal, which has the same protagonists as the corresponding one in Greece".
As it is known, the Anti-Corruption Authority is committed to investigating possible acts of corruption and incompatibility against officials. In this case, the relations of the Cypriot State and state or political officials with businessmen such as Dilian and Avni who are linked to the Intellexa group and the Predator software are put under the microscope. Consequently, any relevant developments in Greece are placed in the same context.
Indicative of the implications for Cyprus of Dilian's report on his transaction with the Greek Government, is yesterday's comment by Irini Charalambidou, who spoke on the "X" platform of an "extremely important development", which she characterizes as "revealing".
