Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro accused the Pegasus investigation committee of a ‘political harakiri’ during a Wednesday news conference, pledging that committee members would face independent courts.
Ziobro Responds to Pegasus Committee Actions
Zbigniew Ziobro responded to actions taken by the investigative committee on Pegasus during a Wednesday (October 8) press conference. He criticized the committee’s recent notification to the prosecutor’s office as a “political harakiri.” Ziobro said the committee used state coercion unlawfully and staged a political agitation under the pretext of alleged interrogations, which seemingly backfired politically. He added that he is convinced committee members will stand before an independent court and answer for crimes committed in the name of party interests and support for the party platform.
Ziobro Defends Pegasus Purchase
Ziobro defended the purchase of Pegasus software, arguing that the anger of Donald Tusk had no single cause. He claimed the indictment was strenuous and drove them to further actions, turning the event at the Ministry of Justice into a forced meeting where Poles could learn new details about major corruption scandals involving people close to Tusk. He dubbed the committee’s next actions an “unrefined, unfounded attack” and explained that Pegasus would allow services to protect Poles from organized groups using sophisticated methods of wrongdoing, including murders, large‑scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and corruption.
Commission to File Charges Against Ziobro
Earlier on Wednesday, members of the parliamentary investigative committee on Pegasus said they would submit a notice to the prosecutor’s office regarding Zbigniew Ziobro. “He bears full responsibility for spending funds from the Justice Fund and failed to fulfil obligations to maintain the Justice Fund, from which funds were supposed to go to crime victims,” said Magdalena Sroka. According to the committee, Ziobro allegedly committed crimes including Article 231 of the Criminal Code – abuse of powers by a public official. Witold Zembaczyński of the Civic Coalition warned that Ziobro could face up to 15 years in prison for exceeding his powers and neglecting duties, and that prosecutors should carefully investigate these claims, as there is a real risk Ziobro will continue to aid already‑accused persons and may flee abroad.
