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All charges have been dropped, but it is unlikely that the cybercriminal will feel better from this.
The Paris court acquitted the famous smiling hacker from Algeria Hamza Bendellaj, known for hacking 217 banks around the world. For a long time, the criminal was accused of extortion and blackmail using the PyLocky malware.
The reason for the acquittal was a legal error of the prosecutor's office, which in the indictment mentioned a non-existent virus "JobCrypter". The court considered that the mention of a virus in the document that is not related to the Bendellage case is a significant violation, depriving the accused of the right to know what he is accused of.
Experts note that the error was rather technical in nature, but the court considered otherwise. The mention of the wrong virus cast doubt on all the other charges and deprived the court of the opportunity to consider the case on its merits, which is why the acquittal was issued.
The prosecutor's office has not yet announced its intention to appeal the court's decision, but it is unlikely that this makes any sense at all. Bendellage was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison in the United States for participating in the creation of the SpyEye banking Trojan. At the moment, the hacker is still there.
Only in 2018, the man was additionally accused in France, linking him to a large extortion operation in which the hacker repeatedly used the PyLocky cryptographer. The operation affected many French companies and significantly damaged their reputation. We already know how the prosecution's five — year history ended.
Nevertheless, the decision of the French court still became a sensation in the world of cybersecurity, as, in fact, one of the most famous hackers of recent years could not be brought to justice due to a small error of the prosecutor's office.
Bendellage himself, who participated in the court session via video link, called the court's decision "a victory for justice." His lawyers also welcomed the verdict, noting that their arguments about the violation of the client's rights were heard.
However, it is unlikely that the hacker became easier because of the decision of the Paris court. After all, it does not change the fact that Bendellage will spend many more years behind bars in an American prison.
This story demonstrates that even the obvious guilt of the accused does not relieve the prosecutor's office from the need to carefully prepare an indictment. Carelessness and errors in documents can lead to the acquittal of the criminal, despite the illegal acts committed by him.
The Paris court acquitted the famous smiling hacker from Algeria Hamza Bendellaj, known for hacking 217 banks around the world. For a long time, the criminal was accused of extortion and blackmail using the PyLocky malware.
The reason for the acquittal was a legal error of the prosecutor's office, which in the indictment mentioned a non-existent virus "JobCrypter". The court considered that the mention of a virus in the document that is not related to the Bendellage case is a significant violation, depriving the accused of the right to know what he is accused of.
Experts note that the error was rather technical in nature, but the court considered otherwise. The mention of the wrong virus cast doubt on all the other charges and deprived the court of the opportunity to consider the case on its merits, which is why the acquittal was issued.
The prosecutor's office has not yet announced its intention to appeal the court's decision, but it is unlikely that this makes any sense at all. Bendellage was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison in the United States for participating in the creation of the SpyEye banking Trojan. At the moment, the hacker is still there.
Only in 2018, the man was additionally accused in France, linking him to a large extortion operation in which the hacker repeatedly used the PyLocky cryptographer. The operation affected many French companies and significantly damaged their reputation. We already know how the prosecution's five — year history ended.
Nevertheless, the decision of the French court still became a sensation in the world of cybersecurity, as, in fact, one of the most famous hackers of recent years could not be brought to justice due to a small error of the prosecutor's office.
Bendellage himself, who participated in the court session via video link, called the court's decision "a victory for justice." His lawyers also welcomed the verdict, noting that their arguments about the violation of the client's rights were heard.
However, it is unlikely that the hacker became easier because of the decision of the Paris court. After all, it does not change the fact that Bendellage will spend many more years behind bars in an American prison.
This story demonstrates that even the obvious guilt of the accused does not relieve the prosecutor's office from the need to carefully prepare an indictment. Carelessness and errors in documents can lead to the acquittal of the criminal, despite the illegal acts committed by him.
