Speaking to Mega News 104.6, Kesses said Dilian was sending a message to the Greek government and judicial authorities about evidence that would be presented during the appeal trial.
Asked whether the businessman was suggesting that he would prove he had not acted alone, Kesses replied: ‘Mr Dilian cooperated, supplied the National Intelligence Service with the Predator spyware and he will very soon prove it.’
Kesses also referred extensively to Dilian’s case in Cyprus, arguing that the country had become a major hub for spyware exports. Citing an investigation by the European Parliament, he said that 32 surveillance technology companies were registered in Cyprus in 2020–21, placing the country, according to him, among the ‘global top five’.
He also referred to the so-called ‘black van’ presented by Dilian, which he claimed was capable of hacking devices from a distance of up to 500 metres. According to Kesses, Dilian faced 92 charges, 49 of which were suspended, while his company reached a settlement over the remaining 43. He also referred to a €76,000 fine and a separate fine of almost €1 million imposed by the Data Protection Authority.
Kesses linked those developments to the granting of an export licence for Predator to Sudan via Cyprus: ‘When Mr Dilian was settling the case, on the same day, on 22 February 2022, the Greek government granted the export licence to Sudan via Cyprus.’
The lawyer also addressed legal action taken by an employee of Greece’s National Intelligence Service (EYP), stressing that this was not another complaint by a journalist or former official, but one made by a serving employee in a critical position.
‘When the agency responsible for espionage issues complains through its employee that he or she has been a victim of espionage, the Supreme Court Prosecutor’s Office should deal with it with great caution’, he said.
Kesses accused the judiciary of failing to provide answers for five years, referring to what he described as a ‘cover-up pattern’ and calling for ‘a courageous prosecution that will simply do its job’.
Regarding the victims’ next steps, Kesses said that further lawsuits were under consideration but had not all been filed, explaining that ‘seeing a system that conceals the case, we are forced to make tactical moves’. He added that he remains in contact with numerous Predator victims who have so far chosen not to take legal action.
Kesses’s comments came after a fresh intervention by Israeli businessman Tal Dilian, as Cyprus’s Independent Authority Against Corruption decided to close its investigation into the ‘black van’ case.
In a written statement to Alpha Cyprus, Dilian welcomed the Cypriot authority’s decision and sought to distinguish the Cyprus case from the wiretapping scandal in Greece, arguing that the connection between the two was based on ‘a narrative and not on the facts’.
The businessman said he remained confident that examination of the evidence would ultimately restore his reputation, while criticising those who, in his view, had promoted a particular narrative.
‘I remain convinced that, as the procedures in Greece progress, the facts will contribute to the revelation of the truth. Some may find that the truth, which they already know, is even more difficult to reconcile with the narrative they chose to promote’, he said.
Dilian’s statement came just 24 hours after remarks by prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the International Fair, where he ruled out entering into a dialogue with him.
‘I have no intention of entering into such a public debate with someone who is currently convicted in a first-instance court’, Mitsotakis said.
______________________________________________
Are you seeking news from Greece presented from a progressive, non-mainstream perspective? Subscribe monthly or annually to support TPP International in delivering independent reporting in English. Don’t let Greek progressive voices fade.
Make sure to reference “TPP International” and your order number as the reason for payment.