Akel leader calls for reopening of spy van investigation

Akel leader Stefanos Stefanou on Thursday called for the investigation to be reopened into the “spy van affair”, during which it came to light that a company was offering private surveillance services using state-of-the-art technology which had been installed in the back of a van.

He said the investigation should be opened in light of statements made by Tal Dilian, the former chief commander of the Israeli military’s secret technology unit who is also former chief executive officer of WiSpear, the company which operated the van, to Reuters.

Dilian had said that the technology offered had “only been sold to governments” – statements viewed by some to lend credence to the theory that he was operating in with the full knowledge of those who held the highest offices of the Republic of Cyprus when the van was operational in the late 2010s.

“While for similar cases of illegal surveillance in Greece, Dilian and his associates were handed prison sentences, in Cyprus, the company was given a fine, but regarding Dilian and his associates, the legal service decided to suspend criminal prosecution, citing, generally and vaguely, the public interest,” Stefanou said.

The fine given to WiSpear amounted to €76,000.

Stefanou added that “the issue of surveillance and institutional entanglement and corruption is extremely serious, since it concerns the protection of people’s rights, as well as the democratic functioning of institutions”.

“Shadows cannot be cast over such cases, and the credibility of institutions cannot be tarnished by those who should be the first to safeguard it,” he said, adding that the “spy van affair” had “intensified people’s distrust … towards the state and the competent prosecuting authorities”.

In Greece, Dilian was handed a 126-year prison sentence for his part in the country’s 2022 surveillance scandal. Eight of those years are to be served behind bars, though Dilian remains out of prison for now, pending an appeal against the ruling.

The sentencing came after opposition party Pasok MP Nikos Androulakis, now the party’s leader, and two journalists said attempts had been made to hack their phone using Predator software, which was developed by Dilian.

It was later found that the technology was used to target 87 people, including government ministers and senior military officials. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was accused of complicity, but denied all knowledge of the matter.