On January 31, former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro was arrested in Warsaw on charges related to the use of Pegasus spyware for surveillance of opposition politicians.
Ziobro was detained shortly after appearing at the studios of the right-wing conservative television channel TV Republika. He was then taken in for questioning by a parliamentary commission investigating the legality of Pegasus usage by the previous government between 2015 and 2023.
Following the December 2023 transition of power, the government of Donald Tusk prioritized inquiries into potential abuses committed by the former national-conservative majority from the Law and Justice Party (PiS). After Ziobro repeatedly refused to appear before the commission investigating the Pegasus affair, the Sejm revoked his parliamentary immunity. In response, the commission secured a court order for his forced detention.
Ziobro spent much of 2024 undergoing treatment for an oncological illness and largely refrained from commenting on the Pegasus scandal. On Friday, he declared that his refusal to participate in commission hearings was a deliberate decision, asserting that its activities were “illegal and potentially criminal.” He also referenced a ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal on September 10, which found certain aspects of the commission’s work to be in conflict with the country’s fundamental law.
Investigators allege that Ziobro personally oversaw the allocation of funds for Pegasus acquisitions and supervised cases in which the spyware was deployed. His arrest marks a further escalation in the investigation. Earlier this week, former head of Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW), Piotr Pogonowski, was also detained and questioned in connection with the probe.
According to the investigation’s findings, approximately 600 individuals in Poland were targeted with Pegasus spyware between 2017 and 2022. Developed by the Israeli firm NSO Group, Pegasus enables covert interception of data from mobile devices, including messages, calls, and real-time location tracking.
Since assuming office, Poland’s new government has made identifying and holding accountable those involved in the misuse of spyware a top priority. In February 2024, a special parliamentary commission was established to investigate these cases. According to the European Parliament, in 2023, Poland utilized Pegasus as a tool for mass surveillance against opposition politicians and government critics, effectively enabling political control over the country’s affairs.
