Pegasus inquiry committee adopts final report on illegal purchase

The committee adopted the final report

Six MPs, all votes in favor. That is how the last, 131st sitting of the Sejm investigative committee on Pegasus ended on Wednesday, October 21. No amendments were submitted to the record.

Chairwoman Magdalena Sroka left no room for doubt: "The Investigative Committee has gathered evidence that states plainly: the purchase of the Pegasus system, its provision for use by Polish services, and its use against people opposed to the authorities of that time were illegal." Przemysław Wipler of Confederation and Mariusz Gosek and Sebastian Łukaszewicz of Law and Justice were absent from the chamber.

The report makes specific points. The software was bought for PLN 33.4 million from the Justice Fund, which was meant to serve victims of crimes. Pegasus operated without the required ICT security accreditation. Data could have been transferred abroad, including to the Israeli manufacturer NSO Group, and courts issuing consent for surveillance were not informed about the tool's actual capabilities.

The committee also found that the system was used to surveil politicians of the then-opposition, including Krzysztof Brejza. It examined the legality and propriety of the use of Pegasus by Polish authorities and services in 2015–2023.

Only the members present adopted the report. Those absent have until November 5 to submit a dissenting opinion, and KO MP Witold Zembaczyński reads their silence as full acceptance of the document.

Next steps: prosecutor's office, Sejm, dissenting opinions

By November 5, 12 p.m., MPs absent from Wednesday's sitting may submit a dissenting opinion to the report. These are Przemysław Wipler (Confederation) and Mariusz Gosek and Sebastian Łukaszewicz (Law and Justice). So far none have been submitted — neither amendments nor objections.

After that deadline, the ball is in the Sejm Marshal's court. It is he who will set the date of the plenary sitting at which the report will be presented to all MPs. Magdalena Sroka, the committee's chairwoman, speaks plainly of two parts: public and classified, which will go before the chamber together. According to unofficial information from Gazeta.pl, the document is to be considered at the Sejm's second November sitting.

Sroka was chosen to represent the committee before the chamber. It is she who will present the findings, including those about the purchase of Pegasus for PLN 33.4 million from the Justice Fund.

The committee did not stop at description. It indicated the people responsible for the purchase and implementation of the system, and notifications to the prosecutor's office have already been filed. At the same time, it was decided to destroy classified working notes from the Sejm's Secret Office.

The opposition questions the committee's legality

The opposition does not recognize Wednesday's vote. Mariusz Gosek and Sebastian Łukaszewicz of Law and Justice and Przemysław Wipler of Confederation did not appear at the committee's 131st sitting. Gosek recalled the Constitutional Tribunal's ruling of September 10, 2024, which held that the scope of the committee's activity was unconstitutional because the Sejm adopted the resolution on its establishment "in an improper composition." This concerns Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik, who lost their mandates after a final conviction in the so-called land scandal case.

— I am not taking part in this either. I have a great many pieces of evidence and documents confirming that I took appropriate action at the right time. I informed both the Constitutional Tribunal, which issued the ruling, and then-President Andrzej Duda — Gosek said. He added that he had also submitted declarations of intent to resign.

— I want to note and emphasize the fact that since no dissenting opinion or amendments were submitted, it means that the members of the Pegasus investigative committee who are absent today fully agree with the report, accept its content, and raise no objections to it — Zembaczyński stated. Ultimately, the report will go before the Sejm.

Sources

Article prepared with the help of artificial intelligence based on: Gazeta.pl, Radio Zachód, Zero.pl. Facts checked automatically against these sources. The Wiadomości PRO newsroom is responsible for this publication.