Press conference by Aristos Damianou, member of the Political Bureau of AKEL, Member of Parliament regarding the treatment of former Israeli agents in a criminal case during the Anastasiades-DISY government

 

28 February 2026, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

Following our statements yesterday, prompted by the conviction of a former Israeli agent and other individuals by the Greek courts, we return today to the issue presenting evidence and facts that document the political and institutional collusion/entanglement between the Anastasiades-DISY government and the person convicted in Greece. This collusion, forged through long-term cooperation, outside the framework of legality and with many grey areas, culminated in the decision to grant a suspension of criminal prosecution to the former agent in question by the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the Republic.

The presentation of facts and figures is based on primary material in our possession, part of which we presented as the AKEL Parliamentary Group during the discussion of the ex officio issue that we tabled for debate and which was discussed in the Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives on November 9, 2022, and June 28, 2023. This was preceded by dozens of public statements that were issued by AKEL, as well as attempts at complete denial by the then ruling government forces, including the President of the Republic, but also by the then leadership of the Police Force, which, as you will hear below – as a result of the pressure exerted due to the evidence we presented – reconsidered and admitted to collaborating with both (former Israeli agents) Mr. Dillian and Mr. Avni.

More specifically:

Before a criminal court, the Police testified under oath that:

• A van with foreign registration plates is located on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and is equipped with electronic and technical equipment capable of monitoring and intercepting communications.
• The vehicle belongs to WS WISPEAR SYSTEMS LTD, one of whose directors is Tal Jonathan Dilian.
• As a result of investigations carried out in a specific building in Larnaca, relevant equipment was located and it was found that the persons under investigation were cohabiting in the same or adjacent office spaces with Avraham Shahak Avni. Equipment related to the vehicle under investigation, with extensive surveillance capabilities, was found in the same premises.
• The vehicle was imported into the Republic of Cyprus and obtained a relevant permit from the Customs Department, originating from Israel, on the grounds that it would record weather phenomena.
• On the grounds of strengthening the Wi-Fi network at Larnaca International Airport, the state granted permission for the installation of three antennas under the responsibility of WS WISPEAR SYSTEMS LTD and Tal Jonathan Dilian. However, according to police records, three years earlier, in 2016, the gentleman in question presented to the relevant state authorities and airport managers the actual capabilities of the system, which were clearly those of surveillance and eavesdropping via mobile phones. In fact, he had named the project Home Land Security.
• The above activities appear to have involved illegal access to more than 9.5 million devices.
• A year earlier, in 2018, the state granted WS WISPEAR SYSTEMS LTD a license to export surveillance equipment, as stated, “Interception Equipment designed for the extraction of voice or data.”
• Evidence from a police report shows that the authorities had known since 2014 about illegal surveillance in Cyprus involving companies owned by former Israeli agents.
• The client list of another affiliated company shows that the Democratic Rally party (DISY) had also purchased services, under the heading “installation of security systems.”
• The Ministry of Commerce, in a document submitted to Parliament, confirmed communication between the office of the President of DISY and the Ministry, with the aim of mediating the sale of equipment from Dillian’s company to the Dutch government.
• Following our specific suggestions and based on the client list of Dillian and Avni’s companies that we submitted to Parliament, with a two-month delay and after conducting an investigation, the then Chief of Police finally admitted that the Police had been cooperating with the aforementioned individuals from 2014 to 2016. Evidence suggests cooperation up to 2019.
• A report by the Police themselves confirms knowledge of illegal activities during the same period that they were collaborating with companies linked to the aforementioned individuals. At the same time, on the instructions of the then Minister of Justice and despite the Police’s disagreement, Mr. Avni was granted a license to carry a gun.
• Invoices were issued to the Police and paid to companies owned by Dillian and Avni for the purchase and installation of a security system at Police Headquarters, training for members of the Analysis Office of the Police Headquarters, and the installation of a security system in the office of the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department in Limassol. The then Police Chief also referred to surveillance equipment that was purchased under the previous leadership.

There is other evidence too, which emerges from Reports by the European Parliament’s PEGA Committee of Inquiry, which demonstrates the tolerance and cooperation of the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus in relation to the activities in Cyprus of companies producing, engaging in the distribution, and export of surveillance/spyware equipment and dual-use software in Cyprus, a fact confirmed by the competent Ministry of Commerce in the minutes of the House of Representatives.

Therefore, the quality of the criminal investigation when the scandal of the black spy van and surveillance antennas at Larnaca airport broke out was conducted by the prosecuting authorities against the backdrop and in the shadow of the cooperation of the prosecuting authorities themselves, with the knowledge of the Central Intelligence Services (KYP), with Messrs. Dillian and Avni. The prosecuting authorities filed criminal charges against a well-known associate of theirs.

The outcome is very well known: when the case was brought before the Criminal Court, by decision of the Deputy Attorney General and with the consent of the Attorney General, a plea bargain was reached, a judicial settlement in which Dillian’s company admitted guilt and paid a fine in exchange for the suspension of criminal proceedings against Dillian and others. In the process, all the data, as confirmed, inside the black van was deleted. It was wiped out.

Since then, we have been asking the Attorney General what reasons of public interest justified the acquittal without trial of the former Israeli agent who the day before yesterday, Greek courts convicted him of committing similar offences.

28.02.2026