The United States has sanctioned five individuals and one organization involved in the Intellexa Consortium, which sold the illegal Predator spyware found on dozens of phones in Greece, including those belonging to politicians, journalists and businessmen.
The sanctioned individuals include key figures involved in Greece’s 2022 wiretapping scandal.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added that the sanctions complement the US government’s concerted actions against commercial spyware vendors, which have already been ‘imposed on 13 individuals’.
The sanctioned individuals are:
Felix Bitzios, whom OFAC identified as the beneficial owner of an Intellexa Consortium company used to supply Predator spyware to a foreign government customer. Bitzios also served as a director of Intellexa SA, a company in the Intellexa Consortium.
Andrea Nicola Constantino Hermes Gambazzi: beneficial owner of Thalestris Limited and Intellexa Limited, members of the Intellexa Consortium. Thalestris Limited holds the distribution rights to the Predator spyware and Thalestris Limited, the parent company of Intellexa SA, was involved in transactions on behalf of other entities within the Intellexa Consortium.
Merom Harpaz: Served as a senior executive of the Intellexa Consortium and a director of Intellexa SA.
Panagiota Karaoli: Director of multiple Intellexa Consortium entities controlled by Thalestris Limited or a subsidiary of Thalestris Limited.
Artemis Artemiou: Managing director and member of the board of directors of Cytrox Holdings Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag (Cytrox Holdings), a member of the Intellexa Consortium, and an employee of Intellexa SA
As a result of the sanctions order, all property and interests in property of these persons located in the United States or owned or controlled by U.S. persons was blocked and reported to OFAC. In addition, all entities owned 50 percent or more, directly or indirectly, singly or in the aggregate, by one or more blocked persons were also blocked.
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