The head of the Parliamentary Investigative Committee on Pegasus assured PAP that the body’s actions will not disrupt the operational systems used by Polish services. She noted that abuse occurred when permissions to deploy Pegasus were being sought during the eavesdropping scandal.
Two days earlier the Sejm set up an investigative panel focused on operational and reconnaissance activities connected with Pegasus. Magdalena Sroka (Polish People’s Party) was chosen as chair, with deputies Marcin Bosacki (Civic Coalition), Paweł Śliz (Poland Together), Tomasz Trela (Left), and Przemysław Wipler (Confederation) serving as vice chairs.
Who sits on the committee?
In a PAP interview, the committee chair confirmed that initial witnesses will include Mariusz Kamiński, Maciej Wąsik, and Jarosław Kaczyński as part of the early hearings.
There is speculation about who conceived the idea to acquire and use the Israeli Pegasus system. It is unclear whether Kaczyński informed Kamiński about Pegasus, or the other way around. The chair suggested Kamiński likely influenced Kaczyński to proceed. She stressed these are only conjectures at this stage.
There is also mention of a potential public examination of Beata Szydło and Mateusz Morawiecki, former prime ministers, as witnesses related to the case.
The committee indicated that its work may span several months and that new information could surface, potentially enabling the Public Prosecution Service to pursue action if warranted.
Before entering politics, Magdalena Sroka spent sixteen years in law enforcement, rising to the rank of chief commissioner. When asked whether Pegasus and similar systems should be used by Polish services, she answered affirmatively. She recalled her own experience with criminal investigations and emphasized the value of operational control as a tool for investigators.
Judges misled?
She argued that the committee’s work would not affect Poland’s security systems. Still, she stressed the need for proper certification and robust security to prevent data from leaking outside the country. Regarding Pegasus, she noted that data was reportedly transmitted to servers in Israel.
The chair recalled that during the wiretapping scandal there was misuse in obtaining Pegasus approvals. She suggested the judges who signed the requests were misled and did not realize the scope and invasiveness of the tool, which exceeded the three-month period they had authorized.
She added that Pegasus allowed access to years of data from already infected devices.
The Pegasus Investigative Committee must examine the legality, accuracy, and targeting of operational and reconnaissance activities conducted with this software by the government, intelligence services, and police from November 16, 2015 to November 20, 2023.
It will also probe who bought Pegasus and similar tools for the Polish authorities and whether the operations against Polish citizens were legal and properly targeted.
With excitement about questioning PiS leaders and Mariusz Kamiński, some observers call the proceedings a political vendetta rather than a neutral inquiry.
The committee will assess whether the actions were justified, legal, and proportionate, and how oversight and accountability were maintained throughout the years.
— End of content —