U.S. Treasury Removes Sanctions on Executives Linked to Intellexa Spyware

Key Takeaways

Sanctions: The Trump administration has lifted sanctions on three executives previously designated over links to the Intellexa spyware consortium.
Official Justification: The removal followed a standard administrative review, and the individuals had separated themselves from the consortium.
Background: Sanctions followed U.S. claims that Predator spyware targeted officials and journalists.

U.S. Treasury Reverses Sanctions on Intellexa Executives

The Trump administration's removal of sanctions was the result of a standard administrative process following a petition for reconsideration, the U.S. Treasury stated in an email, adding that each of the three individuals had demonstrated sufficient measures to distance themselves from the Intellexa Consortium, according to Reuters.

The executives removed from the list are:

Sara Hamou – accused of providing managerial services to Intellexa.

Andrea Gambazzi – allegedly held the distribution rights to the Predator spyware.

Merom Harpaz – named as a top executive in the consortium.

Initially, seven people were sanctioned in connection with Intellexa. The remaining sanctioned individuals, including Intellexa founder Tal Dilian, have not had their designations altered.

The Predator Spyware Controversy and Its Implications

The Intellexa Consortium has been at the center of the global Predator spyware controversy. The surveillance tool was allegedly used to target high-profile individuals, including journalists, political figures in Greece, and even members of the U.S. Congress, Reuters said.

In September 2024, the Treasury said the Intellexa Consortium is an intricate web of decentralized companies that specialize in developing invasive spyware.

The Predator spyware can extract sensitive data from compromised devices, including photos, geolocation data, personal messages, and microphone recordings.

In past cases, Predator spyware has been linked by investigators to surveillance of journalists, opposition figures, and government officials. U.S. authorities said the alleged targeting of U.S. officials raised national security concerns and led to the sanctions.

In another spyware case, the Italian political consultant Francesco Nicodemo was allegedly targeted with Paragon spyware in November.

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U.S. Treasury Lifts Sanctions on Executives Previously Linked to the Intellexa Company and Predator Spyware

U.S. Treasury Reverses Sanctions on Intellexa Executives

The Predator Spyware Controversy and Its Implications