The wiretapping of the two phones was announced by the Spanish government spokeswoman, Isabel Rodriguez, and the Minister of the Presidency of the Government, Felix Bolaños, at a press conference held today in Palacio de la Moncloa, Madrid.
Bolaños explained that according to reports from the Spanish Cyber Security Agency (CNC), there were two break-ins on Pedro Sanchez’s cell phone in May 2021 and wiretaps on Robles’ mobile phone in June of last year.
The “unlawful interference” was confirmed after an investigation is still ongoing into the communications of all members of the Spanish government.
“These are confirmed and very dangerous facts that confirm the occurrence of incursions into state institutions and that they are illegal,” Bolanos added.
“We are dealing with illegal and external interference,” he stressed.
Initially, opposition members and separatists in Catalonia denounced the use of the Israeli-made Pegasus computer program.
Today, Catalan deputies from CUP (Candidacy for Popular Unity) Carlos Riera, Albert Butran and David Fernandez filed a complaint with the Barcelona court against alleged acts of espionage through the Pegasus computer program.
According to a statement from CUP, the complaint submitted by the three deputies states that it is a crime against intimacy with the aim of “disclosing secrets”.
Similarly, the Catalan separatist organization Ómnium Cultural indicated today that it had already lodged a complaint about possible acts of spying on members of the group.
On the other hand, the government of the Spanish autonomous region of Catalonia (Generalitat) announced that it will periodically check the mobile phones of 500 officials in official positions due to threats carried out through spyware such as Pegasus.
Previously, the intrusions of dozens of Catalan independents, including the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, had been denounced.
The Pegasus software, which is manufactured by a private Israeli company, can only be sold and used by governments and has been at the center of numerous spying scandals against politicians, journalists and human rights defenders around the world, notably Spain, Morocco and France.
The software, which can only be sold after obtaining permission from the Israeli government, has already been banned in the United States.
The Spanish government has filed a complaint
Today the Spanish government filed a complaint with Audiencia Nacional for alleged spying on the mobile phones of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles, although the facts occurred in 2021.
Judicial sources told Efe news agency that the complaint refers to the break-in of the mobile devices (mobile phones) of Pedro Sanchez and Margarita Robles using the Pegasus computer program in May of June last year.
(article updated at 1:39pm)
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