Brejza, a member of the European Parliament representing Poland's liberal Civic Coalition (KO), told the commission that he was targeted by the previously ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party using Pegasus ahead of the 2019 parliamentary election.
Brejza, who led the KO’s election campaign at the time, said the 2019 election was influenced by government-controlled secret services.
He described the actions of PiS as turning Poland into a “semi-authoritarian state,” and referred to the party’s inner circle as a "closed system," a term used to suggest a tightly controlled and corrupt government.
The Pegasus software was allegedly used against Brejza as a form of political retaliation. He highlighted his role in exposing various scandals involving PiS, including the so-called “illegal bonuses” scandal, which he said led to a significant drop in the party’s popularity by 10-12 percentage points within a month.
Brejza also accused Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of PiS, of personally disliking him due to his criticisms of Kaczyński’s claimed anti-communist stance. He further suggested that PiS figures enriched themselves by exploiting national assets.
Poland's conservative leader Jarosław Kaczyński testifies before a special parliamentary commission amid claims that the previous government illegally hacked the phones of political opponents using Pegasus spyware; March 15, 2024. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak
During his testimony, Brejza said that illegal surveillance became evident when text messages from his phone were aired by Poland's public television broadcaster TVP during the 2019 campaign.
The messages were presented in a misleading context, which Brejza said made him realize that something was wrong.
He told the panel that he later discovered that his phone had been attacked multiple times with Pegasus.
According to an investigation by Citizen Lab and Amnesty International, his phone was subjected to around 40 such attacks, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
'A small group of bad people can corrupt the state'
The surveillance also extended to his family, with continuous monitoring for six months, 24 hours a day, which only ended shortly after the 2019 parliamentary elections, Brejza said.
He claimed that manipulated material from his phone was leaked to the media in an effort to push him out of politics. He said his family, including his father, wife and mother, were also smeared in the press. He described the situation as evidence that “a small group of bad people can corrupt the state.”
Further, Brejza testified about a "hate group" allegedly formed on WhatsApp by associates of then Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro. He claimed that this group inspired attacks on him and that these efforts included anonymous online harassment.
Brejza emphasized the need for strict judicial oversight of operational surveillance, including the use of spyware like Pegasus. He called for more transparent and accountable systems to prevent abuses of power by secret services.
When asked about the legal basis for the surveillance against him, Brejza said the accusations were based on unfounded allegations from a former PiS activist, which were bolstered by intelligence reports from individuals connected to PiS figures in the north-central city of Bydgoszcz.
Brejza’s testimony also shed light on the involvement of other high-ranking officials in his case. He pointed to the directors of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) in Bydgoszcz, who he said later took well-paid positions at state-owned oil giant PKN Orlen following the Pegasus scandal, suggesting these moves were rewards for their involvement in the operation.
As the parliamentary commission continues its investigation into the use of Pegasus in Poland, Brejza’s testimony added weight to claims of misconduct within the previous government, the PAP news agency reported.
Brejza's wife Dorota told the parliamentary panel earlier this month that over 85,000 messages from her husband's phone were stolen in 2019.
Dorota Brejza. Photo: PAP/Piotr Nowak
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP