Finance
Spain closes Pegasus spyware probe again, saying Israel has not responded
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 22, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 22, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Spain's probe into Pegasus spyware on politicians halts again due to Israeli non-cooperation, affecting national security.
MADRID, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Spain's High Court on Thursday closed its investigation into the use of Israeli cyber-intelligence firm NSO Group's "Pegasus" software to spy on Spanish politicians, citing a lack of cooperation from Israeli authorities.
The investigation was launched after the Spanish government disclosed in 2022 that NSO's spyware had been used to spy on members of the Spanish cabinet, sparking a political crisis that led to the resignation of the country's spy chief.
Officials did not clarify whether domestic or foreign entities were linked to the espionage, whose targets included Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and several ministers.
Investigating judge Jose Luis Calama said he was unable to advance the probe into the alleged spying on politicians because a lack of response to requests for information from Israel meant there was no identifiable suspect.
NSO has always denied wrongdoing, saying the software, which it licences to governments after Israeli government approval, is intended to fight crime and protect national security and that it cannot monitor how it is used. Israel says its role is limited to export licences rather than day-to-day operations. The Israeli government and NSO did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Calama had previously closed the investigation in 2023, also citing a lack of cooperation from Israeli authorities. He reopened it in 2024 following details provided by France regarding its own probe into Pegasus' use in 2021 to target reporters, lawyers, public figures, and French government and political officials.
(Reporting by Emma Pinedo; additional reporting by Pesha Magid and Steven Scheer; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Pegasus spyware is a malicious software developed by the NSO Group that can infiltrate mobile devices to extract data and monitor communications.
Cyber-intelligence refers to the collection and analysis of information related to cyber threats, helping organizations to protect against potential attacks.
An investigation in cybersecurity involves examining incidents of unauthorized access or data breaches to identify vulnerabilities and prevent future attacks.
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