The previous Polish government used Israeli spyware to target opposition politicians and members of the judicial system, the country’s prime minister said on Monday in a televised address.

Donald Tusk said a two-year parliamentary investigation had found that the previous nationalist-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) governing party allowed Israel access to data collected using Pegasus spyware.

The PiS governments paid $7.65m for the system and used it to surveil opposition politicians as well as members of the legal system who were critical of the ruling administration.

According to media reports, Pegasus was acquired in late 2017, actively used from 2017 to 2023, deployed during the 2019 elections, and ultimately used against hundreds of individuals, including several prominent figures from within its own ranks.