The sanctions imposed by the United States on March 5, 2024 on individuals and companies involved in Greece’s wiretapping scandal with the notorious proliferation of the Predator spyware are proving decisive, as they have fueled a series of developments that have already caused a “schism” among the shareholders of the Greek company Intellexa, which US authorities hold primarily responsible for the spyware’s export to autocratic regimes.
According to new evidence published on Wednesday by the Greek investigative website Inside Story, on March 7, 2024, just two days after the US Treasury Department imposed heavy sanctions to owners of the Predator spyware, the Cypriot company Santinomo Limited, which owns 35% of Greece-based Intellexa SA, filed predated documents to the Registrar of Companies of Cyprus.
According to these documents, Felix Bitzios, a major protagonist in Greece’s wiretapping scandal continues to retain a share in the US-sanctioned Intellexa SA.
In August 2022 Bitzios attempted to make it appear that he had sold his Intellexa stake via Santinomo Limited. During that period, the wiretapping scandal had surfaced, through the revelations that Nikos Androulakis, the president of the Greek opposition party PASOK, was among the spyware targets.
The revelation that Bitzios owns 35% of Intellexa was made not only through the predated documents that have been filed to Cyprus’ Registrar of Companies, but also by the Swiss national Andrea Nicola Costantino Hermes Gambazzi, who is the administrator of several Dilian companies. In the predated documents submitted in August 2022, Gambazzi appeared to have taken over as director of Santinomo in December 2020, in place of Bitzios. In the new predated documents filed with Cypriot Registrar of Companies on March 7, 2024, he does not appear as the director of the company. Bitzios reappears again in the role of director.
Inside Story asked Gambazzi for a statement regarding the predated documents.
Tal Dilian’s partner surprised everybody with his answer. “With regards to the transfer of shares and the documents you have provided me, I can for sure state that I have never been involved in this transfer of, nor am I aware of any transfer of, Santinomo Limited shares in Intellexa SA to Thalestris Limited. Further, I was never a shareholder and/or took any role active and/or passive in Santinomo Limited. I finally can assure you that I don’t know and I have never met Mr Bitzios”, Gambazzi said.
This response essentially exposes Bitzios and shows that he attempted to hide his involvement in Intellexa to avoid being blamed for the wiretapping scandal. The testimony of the Swiss financier also raises issues of forgery in relation to the predated Santinomo Ltd documents. According to experts familiar with the Cypriot legal system, if Gambazzi’s assertions are proven, those responsible for any potential false certification may face criminal charges.
The fact that Bitzios never ceased to be a shareholder of Intellexa is important since he is related to Grigoris Dimitriadis, the nephew of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who served as the chief of staff in the Greek Prime Minister’s office and was in charge of the Greek National Intelligence Service until his resignation in August 2022. Bitzios is also affiliated with businessman Yiannis Lavranos, whose company Krikel got licenses from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to export the Predator software as Intellexa’s representative.
Gambazzi is listed as a director of Tal Dilian’s offshore companies in various jurisdictions. Due to the sanctions imposed by the United States on Dilian and his wife, Sara Hamou, for the Predator spyware scandal, Gambazzi is the only person who can safely manage Dilian’s assets.
As a result, Dilian does not want Gambazzi to look linked with Santinomo Limited, which owns the 35% of Intellexa, and it may be added to the US sanctions list.
After considering his alternatives, Dilian separated from Felix Bitzios.
And now it’s each man for himself.
