Prime Minister Sachez And Defense Minister's Phone Infected With Pegasus Spyware, Spanish Government: Illegal Intervention

JAKARTA - Spanish authorities have detected 'Pegasus' spyware on the mobile phones of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles, Presidential Affairs Minister Felix Bolanos said Monday.

Bolanos said at a press conference that Sanchez's phone was infected in May 2021 and at least one data leak had occurred at that time. He did not say who could spy on the prime minister, or whether foreign or Spanish groups were suspected of being behind him.

"The intervention was illegal and external. External means were carried out by non-official bodies and without state permission," he said, adding that the infection had been reported to the justice ministry and the High Court would handle the case.

The announcement followed intense pressure on the left coalition government to explain itself after Canadian digital rights group Citizen Lab said more than 60 people linked to the Catalan separatist movement had been targeted by the Pegasus spyware created by Israel's NSO Group.

After allegations of spying on members of the Catalan separatist movement, a key ally of the minority government in parliament, the pro-independence leftist party ERC, said it would not support the government until Madrid took action to restore confidence.

Meanwhile, Pere Aragones, president of the Catalan separatists, said Monday in a statement: "When there was mass surveillance of the Catalan independence movement, we only heard silence and excuses. Today everything was rushed.

"But the double standard here is clear. It seems that going against any independence movement is welcome," he stressed.

To note, the European Union's data watchdog has called for a ban on Pegasus over allegations it has been misused by client governments, to spy on rights activists, journalists and politicians.