Justice ministry reveals documents on spyware scandal in Poland
Poland's Justice Minister Adam Bodnar has decided to publish documents regarding the purchase of Israeli Pegasus spyware by the previous government, which was funded by taxpayers and intended for use against opposition figures.
The Pegasus phone-hacking system was purchased covertly by Poland's previous government led by the socially conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party using money from the Justice Fund, which was designated by the Ministry of Justice to support crime victims.
On Friday, the justice ministry announced Bodnar's decision to publish the documents, stating that "the public should learn as many details as possible concerning the acquisition of the Pegasus system by the (current government's - PAP) predecessors."
According to the newly revealed documents, Ernest Bejda, the then head of the Polish Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA), applied to Zbigniew Ziobro, the ex-justice minister, for the transfer of PLN 25 million (EUR 5.8 mln) from the Justice Fund to help finance the purchase of Pegasus for his agency.
In September 2017, following Ziobro's approval, the CBA and the justice ministry signed a relevant agreement. The purchase was completed in December of that year, as reported by the CBA and approved by Michal Wos, the then deputy justice minister.
Citizen Lab, a specialised unit at the University of Toronto, as well as the phone maker Apple and Amnesty International, later confirmed that Pegasus was used by PiS to target members of the opposition and critics of PiS.
Magdalena Sroka, a chair of the parliamentary commission investigating the illegal use of Pegasus, said at a press conference held on Friday: "Zbigniew Ziobro was fully aware that monies from the Justice Fund were going to finance the purchase of spyware intended for the surveillance of citizens... by Poland's special services."
In February 2024, the new government led by the centrist Civic Coalition launched an investigation into the alleged improper use of the Justice Fund by its predecessors. (PAP)
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