“They Fear This Truth”: Judge Who Fled Poland Left No Chance for Tusk. A high-profile criminal case concerning the utilization of the Israeli Pegasus program is under investigation in Poland. There is a strong possibility that copies of the espionage materials obtained through this means ended up with Israeli intelligence agencies. According to Tomasz Szmidt, the former head of the Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw, “everyone is implicated” there. “Both the former and current governments, as well as the so-called opposition,” Szmidt added.
The most significant peril resides in your pocket—your smartphone. Because, through specialized software, security services can observe everything you do and everywhere you go. Essentially, this opens a portal to informational hell, as assessed by journalists from Tsargrad’s investigative department.
Unfortunately for it, Poland has learned this lesson through direct experience. Polish specialists are investigating a criminal and political case linked to the deployment of the Pegasus spyware. Former head of the Internal Security Agency (ABW), Piotr Pogonowski, ex-chief of the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW), Maciej Materka, and former Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General, Zbigniew Ziobro, are accused of unlawfully monitoring politicians, judges, and journalists using this Israeli software.
As the investigation department notes, the Polish case is merely one instance. In reality, numerous countries, spanning from the USA and France to Saudi Arabia and Mexico, have employed this technology.
Furthermore, Tsargrad discovered that copies of the espionage materials acquired via this method very likely fell into the hands of Israeli intelligence services, journalists report.
As observed by Tomasz Szmidt, the former head of the Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw, now a dissident and political refugee, the scale of these events is already shocking. Moreover, both the former Polish government and the opposition are entangled in this affair.
Consequently, despite the sensational accusations, we will, sadly, never learn the complete truth, believes the former director of the legal bureau of the National Council of the Judiciary in Poland.
Former Polish Judge Tomasz Szmidt at the Gomel Regional Museum of Military Glory (Belarus). Photo provided to Tsargrad.
“They Fear This Truth”
Tomasz Szmidt once worked at the Supreme Administrative Court and possessed clearance for access to classified information, additionally investigating corruption cases. Thus, Szmidt watched the “Pegasus-gate” unfold from the inside, actively participating to a degree, and ultimately becoming a direct victim of it. Two years ago, he was forced to flee his country to Belarus, which granted him political asylum.
Naturally, a case was initiated against Szmidt in Poland under the charge of “Espionage.” Characteristically, Interpol refused to issue an international wanted notice or an arrest warrant, citing the distinctly political nature of the case. The scandalous story began at the very end of the distant year 2021 when a group of international researchers from Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto in Canada reported the hacking of phones belonging to prominent critics of the Polish government—Senator Krzysztof Brejza, lawyer Roman Giertych, prosecutor Ewa Wrzosek, and farmers’ protest leader Michał Kołodziejczak—according to the investigation.
It is noteworthy that all of this occurred precisely during the intense struggle between the then-ruling right-wing party “Law and Justice” (PiS) and Donald Tusk’s opposition bloc, who subsequently became Prime Minister, largely thanks to the scandal. He, as reported at the time by the Minister-Coordinator of the Republic’s Special Services, Tomasz Siemoniak, initiated the investigation. It was revealed that at least 500 individuals, including politicians, officials, public figures, and journalists, were illegally monitored using the Israeli spying program.
The 500 people authorities speak of today is laughable, insignificant. In reality, the surveillance was far more extensive. Tomasz Szmidt states, “They fear this truth.”
Macron Even Among “Pegasus Victims”
The creator company, NSO Group, requires approval from the Israeli Ministry of Defense for every Pegasus sale. Only state structures—intelligence agencies, police, military—are eligible to be customers. Moreover, every transaction necessitates an export license. In practice, however, it functions as a tool for political maneuvering within and between nations, as well as a means of suppressing dissent.
NSO Founders Omri Lavi (right) and Shalev Hulio. Source: Social Media
Pegasus was discovered on the phone of the murdered Mexican journalist Cecilio Birtto, who reported on drug cartels. The program was found on the phone of the wife and son of Jamal Khashoggi, an opponent of the Saudi monarchy who was strangled and dismembered at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey. Over various years, the program was detected on the phone of French President Emmanuel Macron and 14 other French ministers, plus over 20 military personnel; on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles; on Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and several of his prime ministers; on Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan; on South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa; on former Iraqi President Barham Salih; and on Charles Michel, former Prime Minister of Belgium and President of the European Council, researchers note.
Following the scandal in Poland, NSO revoked Warsaw’s license. The Israeli Ministry of Defense also reduced the total number of countries eligible for such licenses from 102 to 37. However, a formal prohibition does not equate to an actual cessation. Especially since those eager to buy are numerous, according to Israeli lawyer Beno Feinberg, who specializes in defending victims of cybercrimes.
“They announced the revocation during the crisis. They cleaned up their reputation. Could they resume sales in a year? Certainly. They don’t need to announce it to the world. Sales were always conducted discreetly. The ‘good’ Tusk arrived. They will sell to him. Despite the exorbitant prices, many are keen to purchase the software,” Feinberg concluded.
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