Former Polish Prime Minister, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, underwent questioning in front of a special parliamentary committee regarding allegations of his government’s acquisition and purportedly unlawful utilization of sophisticated spyware. The NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware, originally revealed in 2021 by the Associated Press, was employed to surveil mobile devices linked to opponents of the Law and Justice Party, including influential members of the party itself.
Kaczynski, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and continued to wield significant political influence even after leaving office, held various key positions within Poland’s government. Despite acknowledging the procurement of advanced surveillance technology from Israel, Kaczynski denied accusations that it was used to target political adversaries.
The current Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, asserted that the previous administration misused Pegasus, unlawfully targeting a substantial number of individuals. Pegasus grants operators extensive access to mobile devices, enabling the extraction of sensitive data and even real-time eavesdropping through microphone and camera activation.
Following an electoral defeat in December, the Law and Justice Party relinquished power, paving the way for a new parliamentary commission, dominated by a pro-EU coalition, to investigate the alleged misuse of spyware by the former government.
