The National Prosecutor's Office sent a summons to the leaders of the Women's Strike, Klementyna Suchanow and Marta Lempart, to appear at the prosecutor's office as part of an investigation into the Pegasus software, spokesman Przemysław Nowak said. They will be questioned as witnesses. The findings of tvn24.pl show that the services used Pegasus against Suchanow and wanted to use it against Lempart.
Summons to appear at the National Prosecutor's Office, as its spokesman Przemysław Nowak said in a statement on Friday, were sent on October 10 and 11.
“The prosecutor made the determinations regarding the need to interview these people on the basis of information provided to the investigation by the Internal Security Agency. These determinations result from classified material,” said prosecutor Nowak.
Findings of tvn24.pl on the surveillance of Women's Strike activists
On Thursday, tvn24.pl reported that journalists' findings show that the services used a cyberweapon for surveillance, the Pegasus system, against Klementyna Suchanow, and wanted to use it against Marta Lempart. Officers of the Internal Security Agency justified their requests to the court for permission to conduct operational control with suspicions of espionage activities.
The applications were submitted “at the time when the largest strikes were taking place,” sources told tvn24.pl. Demonstrations of thousands of people following the judgment of the Constitutional Tribunal by Julia Przyłębska on abortion took place in the fall of 2020 and in the winter at the turn of 2020 and 2021.
Suchanow: it was obvious that Pegasus was used against us tvn24
Investigation into the use of Pegasus
The spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office reminded in Friday's announcement that an investigation into the abuse of powers and failure to fulfill duties by public officials in connection with the use of the Pegasus software was initiated on March 18, 2024 in the Masovian Branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw.
“This is our own investigation, so it has not been entrusted to any other authority or service, however, ongoing cooperation is undertaken with the relevant authorities or services in obtaining further information that is important for the proceedings. The basis for this cooperation are the applicable regulations in this regard. legal regulations and good relations between the prosecutor's office and Police services and bodies,” we read.
As reported by Nowak on April 22, 2024, the Prosecutor General Adam Bodnar appointed Investigation Team No. 3 at the National Prosecutor's Office to conduct this case. The team currently includes five prosecutors.
Several dozen witnesses were interviewed
As the spokesman pointed out in the PK press release, “during the investigation, all circumstances relating to the use of the Pegasus software are being examined, including issues of legality, justification, purposefulness and proportionality of the operational and reconnaissance activities undertaken.” “In addition, the circumstances regarding its functionality, technical capabilities, method of use, rules for collecting, storing and sharing acquired classified materials are also being examined,” he added.
“In order to determine the above circumstances, prosecutors obtained (in secret) from the Central Anticorruption Bureau, the Internal Security Agency, the Military Counterintelligence Service and the Police information and documents regarding the purchase of the Pegasus software, its functionality and use as part of operational inspections in individual cases. Submission to the prosecutor's office documentation went smoothly and allowed prosecutors to continue their work to make further findings. The information and documentation obtained are still being analyzed,” we read.
A spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office said that “during the investigation, several dozen witnesses were also interviewed, including officers with knowledge of the acquisition, use and functionality of the Pegasus system.” “In addition, the notifiers and other persons who may have knowledge about the proceedings were interviewed,” he added.
Experts from the Internal Security Agency
Nowak also announced that the prosecutor had appointed experts from the Forensic Research Office of the Internal Security Agency to issue an opinion regarding the operation and functionality of the Pegasus system.
“These experts participated, together with prosecutors, in the inspection and in securing the devices included in the Pegasus system at the headquarters of the Central Anticorruption Bureau in Warsaw. The acquired data and devices were transferred to the above-mentioned experts for use in preparing the opinion. This opinion is still being prepared,” he noted.
The PK spokesman also said that “the vast majority of activities and materials carried out in this investigation are classified as confidential.”
Main photo source: TVN24