Poland will interrogate former justice minister regarding spyware allegations
Former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro will address inquiries regarding the supposed employment of Israeli spyware against political opponents. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Donald Tusk’s administration has accused the previous government of utilizing Israel’s Pegasus spyware against political adversaries.
A Warsaw court has issued an order for the arrest of former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro unless he testifies before a parliamentary committee that is examining claims regarding the alleged deployment of Israeli-made spyware against the current ruling coalition.
Prime Minister Tusk's government asserts that the prior administration employed Pegasus, created by Israel’s NSO Group, to surveil nearly 600 individuals from 2017 to 2022, which included political opponents and their campaign teams.
The Sejm’s commission investigating these allegations has requested that Ziobro be arrested if he fails to appear at the scheduled hearing on January 31. On Monday, the District Court in Warsaw granted this request.
“Even though I am abroad, I will come to Poland because I am not afraid of the officers,” Ziobro stated to Polsat News in reaction to the subpoena. “I will not resist,” he emphasized, clarifying a previous comment about possessing an arsenal of weapons and his belief in self-defense.
Ziobro, a member of the opposition Law and Justice party, has contended that the investigation is unlawful, pointing to a ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal in September 2024.
“There is no commission of inquiry into Pegasus, because the Constitutional Tribunal banned it,” remarked MP Michal Wojcik of PiS on Monday. “Despite this, a group of MPs are demanding that Ziobro be forcibly brought in. This is being endorsed by a judge who spoke on the merits of the case, but does not want to recuse herself. Sick!”
Krzysztof Brejza, an MEP from Poland’s ruling Civic Platform coalition, responded by asserting that “the law applies to everyone,” including Ziobro, and accused the former justice minister of “mocking the law.”
Ziobro had previously missed four summons from the committee before the Sejm voted to lift his parliamentary immunity last month. After this decision, he stated he would testify voluntarily, following the arrest of the former head of the Internal Security Agency, Piotr Pogonowski.
PiS held power in Poland from 2015 until late 2023, when Tusk's coalition took over. The new government has initiated several investigations into alleged misconduct by its predecessor. Reports in the Polish media have indicated that PiS allocated significant resources to deploy spyware against political rivals, including the campaign leader from the Civic Platform.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
A Warsaw court has issued an order for the arrest of former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro unless he testifies before a parliamentary committee that is examining claims regarding the alleged deployment of Israeli-made spyware against the current ruling coalition.
Prime Minister Tusk's government asserts that the prior administration employed Pegasus, created by Israel’s NSO Group, to surveil nearly 600 individuals from 2017 to 2022, which included political opponents and their campaign teams.
The Sejm’s commission investigating these allegations has requested that Ziobro be arrested if he fails to appear at the scheduled hearing on January 31. On Monday, the District Court in Warsaw granted this request.
“Even though I am abroad, I will come to Poland because I am not afraid of the officers,” Ziobro stated to Polsat News in reaction to the subpoena. “I will not resist,” he emphasized, clarifying a previous comment about possessing an arsenal of weapons and his belief in self-defense.
Ziobro, a member of the opposition Law and Justice party, has contended that the investigation is unlawful, pointing to a ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal in September 2024.
“There is no commission of inquiry into Pegasus, because the Constitutional Tribunal banned it,” remarked MP Michal Wojcik of PiS on Monday. “Despite this, a group of MPs are demanding that Ziobro be forcibly brought in. This is being endorsed by a judge who spoke on the merits of the case, but does not want to recuse herself. Sick!”
Krzysztof Brejza, an MEP from Poland’s ruling Civic Platform coalition, responded by asserting that “the law applies to everyone,” including Ziobro, and accused the former justice minister of “mocking the law.”
Ziobro had previously missed four summons from the committee before the Sejm voted to lift his parliamentary immunity last month. After this decision, he stated he would testify voluntarily, following the arrest of the former head of the Internal Security Agency, Piotr Pogonowski.
PiS held power in Poland from 2015 until late 2023, when Tusk's coalition took over. The new government has initiated several investigations into alleged misconduct by its predecessor. Reports in the Polish media have indicated that PiS allocated significant resources to deploy spyware against political rivals, including the campaign leader from the Civic Platform.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
