The right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) politician was summoned for the ninth time over the alleged surveillance of political opponents using Pegasus spyware, purchased for 25 million PLN (€5,855,750) during the previous PiS government.
The previous eight summonses ended in failure, as Zbigniew Ziobro either submitted medical certificates or failed to appear on the scheduled dates, challenging the legality of the commission.
An earlier attempt to detain him at his residence in Jeruzal, a suburb of Warsaw, had also failed.
Ziobro under scrutiny for misusing Pegasus against journalists and political rivals
The Israeli Pegasus system, designed to monitor smartphones, including eavesdropping on calls, tracking emails and social media messages, and capturing user location, was intended for counter-terrorism purposes.
Ziobro allegedly used it to monitor political rivals and journalists critical of the PiS government.
Giertych to sue Ziobro over Pegasus comments
During his testimony, Ziobro admitted he had initiated the purchase of the Pegasus system, saying it was meant to detect and prevent crimes.
The politician claimed it was used in cases involving alleged corruption by Sławomir Nowak, a former aide to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and in connection with the Polnord real estate company, where Pegasus was reportedly used to monitor Roman Giertych, a KO lawmaker and former Minister of Education.
Giertych announced he would file a complaint with the prosecutor’s office against Ziobro for calling him “a thief who embezzled funds from the company” during the hearing.
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Source: IAR/TVN24/X/@GiertychRoman