BARCELONA: A Spanish judge will travel to Israel to seek testimony from the head of tech company NSO, the maker of the controversial Pegasus spyware used in tapping politicians’ phones in Spain, the country’s National Court said Tuesday.
The court said that José Luis Calama has decided to lead a judicial commission that will travel to Israel to “take testimony from the CEO of the company that commercializes the Pegasus program.”
Shalev Hulio is the CEO of the Tel Aviv-based NSO Group. The court gave no date for the judge’s trip.
When asked for comment by The Associated Press, a NSO Group’s spokesperson said: “NSO operates under a strict legal framework, and is confident that this will be the result any government inquiry will reach.”
The information was made public after the judge removed the seal of secrecy from the case concerning the hacking of the cellphones of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Spain’s ministers of defense and interior in May and June 2021.
The cyberattack coincided with a diplomatic rift between Spain and Morocco. But Spain’s government, which took the case to Spanish court on discovering the hacks last month, has only said that the hacks came from an “external” power. Moroccan officials have yet to speak on the matter.
NSO says that it only sells its Pegasus spyware to governments for security purposes. Pegasus has been linked to the hacking of other political leaders and activists in other countries. NSO has denied playing any part of this apparent misuse of its evasive technology that has come to light thanks to the work of digital-rights groups inspecting individual phones.
Judge Calama also cited Spain’s Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, to answer questions on July 5.
The court also said that the judge had already questioned the former chief of Spain’s intelligence agency, Paz Esteban, who was fired after the phone hacking was revealed. In what is apparently a separate use of Pegasus by Spain, Esteban acknowledged that her agency had used the technology to tap the phones of some Catalan separatist politicians.
Spanish judge to seek testimony from NSO on Pegasus spyware
https://arab.news/pr9c7
Spanish judge to seek testimony from NSO on Pegasus spyware
- José Luis Calama has decided to lead a judicial commission that will travel to Israel
- NSO says that it only sells its Pegasus spyware to governments for security purposes
Ukrainian nationals aboard seized tanker Bella-1, ambassador says
- Ukrainian diplomats were in contact with US authorities to ensure consular access to the crew members
- The Bella-1 was seized in the North Atlantic this week
WASHINGTON: Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States was quoted as saying on Friday that Ukrainian nationals were among members of the crew of the Russian-flagged tanker Bella-1, seized this week by US forces.
Olha Stefanishyna, quoted by the Interfax Ukraine news agency, said Ukrainian diplomats were in contact with US authorities to ensure consular access to the crew members.
“The embassy has the situation under control and is using all necessary means to maintain contact with the Ukrainian citizens,” Stefanishyna was quoted as saying.
The Bella-1, recently renamed the Marinera and registered as a Russian vessel, was seized in the North Atlantic this week. The US has seized five ships in recent weeks as part of efforts to curb Venezuelan oil exports. The Olina was seized in the Caribbean on Friday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the United States had released two Russian crew members from the Marinera, expressed gratitude to Washington for the decision and pledged to ensure the return home of crew members.
Russia’s Transport Ministry said on Wednesday it had lost contact with the Marinera after US naval forces boarded it near Iceland.
