Pegasus in Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announces a reform of intelligence services

This decision follows multiple revelations involving Israeli spy software. The director of these intelligence services had been dismissed.

Le Monde with AFP

Following a resounding spy scandal, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, announced, Thursday, May 26, a reform of the law governing the functioning of the intelligence services.

“It is a question of strengthening the guarantees of this [judicial] control, but also of ensuring the maximum respect for the individual and political rights of the persons,” said the head of the left government before the Chamber of Deputies.

m. Sanchez also announced the upcoming adoption of a new law relating to “classified information”, the current legislation dating from 1968, therefore during the Franco dictatorship. “It is urgent that the regulations adapt to democratic, constitutional principles,” insisted the Prime Minister.

“Avoid that these security breaches are reproducing”

This scandal, which cost his post at the head of the National Intelligence Center (CNI), Paz Esteban, broke out last month after the revelation that Catalan independence phones had been listened to by the Spanish intelligence services by means of the Israeli spy software Pegasus.

The Catalan separatists had then threatened to withdraw their support for parliament from the minority government of Mr. Sanchez, with the risk of causing its fall before the term of the legislature, scheduled for the end of 2023.

The case then took another dimension when the government had revealed that Mr. Sanchez and his Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, had themselves been spied on by this software, this time within the framework of a ” External attack “whose author remains unknown to this day. The reforms announced Thursday “will update the procedures (…) to prevent these security breaches from reproducing in the future,” said Spanish Prime Minister.

/Media reports.