Polish authorities detained former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro at Warsaw's Chopin Airport on Monday and compelled him to appear before a parliamentary committee investigating the deployment of Pegasus spyware. Ziobro served as Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General from 2015 to 2023 under the Law and Justice government. He has refused to testify nine times, calling the commission unconstitutional and politically driven.
The politician admitted he initiated the purchase of Pegasus to track encrypted communications and insisted the software targeted criminals rather than political opponents. Prime Minister Donald Tusk's administration claims the spyware monitored nearly 600 individuals between 2017 and 2022. The commission is examining who authorized the 2017 acquisition for the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau and how state institutions deployed it.
Ziobro denounced the panel as aggressive and demanded that members be removed for alleged political bias. His requests were rejected. Poland's Constitutional Tribunal previously ruled the commission unlawful and prohibited actions against him. The current government has launched multiple investigations into alleged abuses by the previous administration.
The politician admitted he initiated the purchase of Pegasus to track encrypted communications and insisted the software targeted criminals rather than political opponents. Prime Minister Donald Tusk's administration claims the spyware monitored nearly 600 individuals between 2017 and 2022. The commission is examining who authorized the 2017 acquisition for the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau and how state institutions deployed it.
Ziobro denounced the panel as aggressive and demanded that members be removed for alleged political bias. His requests were rejected. Poland's Constitutional Tribunal previously ruled the commission unlawful and prohibited actions against him. The current government has launched multiple investigations into alleged abuses by the previous administration.
