A court in Barcelona has determined that Omri Lavie and Shalev Hulio, the co-founders of the spyware company NSO Group, along with Yuval Somekh, a former executive of two affiliated companies, can be prosecuted as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged hacking of Catalan lawyer Andreu Van den Eynde.

The Barcelona-based human rights organization Iridia, which initially filed the criminal complaint, announced the court’s decision on Monday.

Iridia had previously requested that a lower court charge Lavie, Hulio, and Somekh, in addition to their respective companies. Although the initial request was denied, Iridia appealed the decision, and the higher court has now ruled in their favor, allowing the three individuals to be charged.

According to Iridia spokesperson Lucía Foraster Garriga, “This ruling establishes a significant legal precedent in the fight against spyware espionage in Europe, as it holds the individuals involved personally accountable in court.” Garriga shared this statement with TechCrunch.

When reached for comment, NSO Group spokesperson Gil Lanier stated, “We have no comment,” in an email to TechCrunch.

Lavie, Hulio, and Somekh did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for a statement.