Bangladesh, March 14 -- The long-running surveillance controversy in Greece has entered a new and explosive phase after the founder of the commercial spyware firm Intellexa stated that his company sells its technology exclusively to governments. The admission has reignited fierce political debate in Athens, with opposition parties arguing that the statement undermines the governments longstanding claim that the controversial spyware was operated solely by private actors.

Tal Dilian, a former Israeli intelligence officer and founder of the Intellexa consortium, made the comments in a written statement to the Greek investigative television program “MEGA Stories.” His remarks came just weeks after he and several associates were ...