2024-04-16 13:11 update: 2024-04-18, 14:42
Fot. PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
More than 500 people were subject to covert surveillance by the Pegasus spyware being investigated by a parliamentary commission, the minister-coordinator of Poland’s intelligence services has said.
Minister Tomasz Siemoniak spoke to TVN24 private broadcaster on Tuesday about the report concerning the commission's findings which Justice Minister Adam Bodnar had forwarded to Szymon Holownia, the speaker of the Sejm, the lower house of Poland's parliament.
The new pro-EU coalition government accused the previous Law and Justice (PiS) administration of purchasing Pegasus from the Israeli firm NSO to conduct surveillance on individuals linked with the then opposition. The government has cited reports from Citizen Lab, a specialised unit at the University of Toronto, phone maker Apple, and Amnesty International.
Pegasus can hack into smartphones in order to harvest information and eavesdrop on conversations.
When questioned about the specific number of individuals affected by the illegal surveillance, Siemoniak said that "based on the information provided by our intelligence services, it exceeded 500 individuals."
He specified that the number of the surveilled concerned the years 2017-2021.
According to Bodnar's recent statements on the matter, the report aims to disclose "the precise number of instances in which Pegasus was utilized in Poland." (PAP)
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