2024-03-04 15:53 update: 2024-03-04, 19:53
Photo PAP/Paweł Supernak
The newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza has claimed the Polish Prosecutor's Office under the former Law and Justice (PiS)-dominated government purchased Hermes spyware and used it to carry out illegal surveillance of "disloyal associates."
The Hermes spyware, according to the paper, might be more advanced than Pegasus, the alleged use of which is now the subject of an investigation by the State Prosecutor's Office and a parliamentary commission.
Wyborcza added that Hermes was to be used for the illegal surveillance of politicians, civil servants, judges and prosecutors "suspected of disloyalty to the United Right government (coalition dominated by PiS - PAP) and Ziobro's (the then justice minister and prosecutor general- PAP) team".
The article said that the purchase was revealed when the new management of the State Prosecutor's Office received the bill for the Hermes subscription.
The Prosecutor's Office bought the spyware in spring 2021 for PLN 15 million (EUR 3.5 million) plus subscription, the newspaper wrote.
Hermes has been described as "a specialised analytical programme" and has not received certification by the Internal Security Agency (ABW), the article said. The Hermes control room was to be located in "the Secret National Prosecutor's Office," an official department of the Prosecutor's Office.
Bogdan Swieczkowski, who was heading the National Prosecutor's Office in 2016–2022, claimed: "No spyware was purchased during my time as National Prosecutor."
Later in the day, Jan Grabiec, the head of the Prime Minister's Office, said the use of Hermes was as serious as the allegations surrounding Pegasus.
"It's a very serious matter, similar to Pegasus," Grabiec said. "This is about the use of very advanced spy systems and surveillance systems. I would not like to express any hasty opinions before the national prosecutor or the prosecutor general comments on the matter." (PAP)
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