Cyprus as Predator base: serious allegations against Dilyan in lawsuit by 14 defendants
A lawsuit by eight victims of illegal surveillance in Greece directly links Cyprus to Predator spyware and businessman Tal Dilyan.
Lawsuit against 14 persons brings Cyprus to centre of Predator case
The conviction of businessmen in Greece on 26 February 2026 in the context of the Predator spyware case is expected to affect Cyprus as well, according to reports from Philenews. Among those convicted is Tal Dilyan, a businessman known on the island, whose case is expected to occupy the attention of the Independent Authority against Corruption, according to sources.
Eight victims of illegal surveillance, believing they were vindicated by the first-instance judgment, filed a lengthy lawsuit against 14 legal and natural persons. The text of the lawsuit records 16 references in total to Cyprus and a series of allegations that directly concern the island.
Among the claimants is Greek journalist Thanasis Koukakis, who is recognised by the Citizen Lab of the University of Toronto as the first confirmed victim of telephone interception via Predator. The claimants present Cyprus as a base for those involved with the spyware and the illegal surveillance.
Permanent residence in Cyprus and network of companies
According to the allegations in the lawsuit, Tal Dilyan and his wife Sara Alexandra Hamou arranged their permanent residence in Cyprus years ago. Through a network of companies, some of which were registered on the island, Dilyan acquired control of Predator and subsequently transferred his activities to Greece, where the illegal interceptions took place.
As a factor that influenced the decision to transfer corporate activities to Greece, the conviction of a company with Dilyan's interests by the Permanent Criminal Court of Larnaca for the "black van" case is cited, with a fine of €76,000.
The text accompanying the lawsuit states verbatim: "The above case created an unfavourable climate in the circle of activities of the Intellexa group in Cyprus, resulting in leading the defendants, Tal Dilyan and Sara Alexandra Hamou, to seek a new place of establishment of their business activities in Greece."
The role of Komnópoulos and Cypriot companies
According to the text of the lawsuit, businessman Stavros Komnópoulos assisted in the transfer of activities to Greece, who introduced Dilyan and his associate Sahak Avni to Felix Bitziou. The latter, until March 2019 head of Southeast Europe for the Libra group, was a beneficiary of Cypriot companies, including Viniato Limited, Boritaco Holdings Limited, Restine Limited, Rubricus Investments Limited and Layth Capital Ventures Limited.
On 2 September 2019, the company SANTINOMO Limited was established in Cyprus with Bitziou as sole shareholder and director, with subject matter including, among other things, software development, information technology services and applications in the fields of C4I, geographical information systems and geoinformation.
Defendants with permanent residence in Cyprus
The lawsuit, which was brought by lawyer Zacharias Kesses on behalf of the eight victims, is also directed against employees of the Intellexa group, who, although Greek citizens, reside permanently in Cyprus. One of them is described as a programmer for the group with specialisation in server programming. Philenews reported that attempts to obtain statements from the defendants yielded no results, as no willingness to comment was expressed.
Prison sentence of 126 years suspended pending appeal judgment
It is recalled that the four defendants in the Predator case — Tal Dilyan, Sara Hamou, Felix Bitziou and Yiannis Lavranos — were found guilty last February of three offences. As reported by investigative journalism website Inside Story, "these are misdemeanours which, however, resulted in a prison sentence of 126 years and 8 months, on consolidation 8 years, with full execution of the sentence and suspension pending judgment of the appeal."
Source: Philenews