New law after wiretapping scandal in Spain

Spain will overhaul its intelligence service after this spring’s hacker scandal in which the phones of top politicians were tapped.

“It is a question of strengthening guarantees of control but also ensuring maximum respect for the individual and the political rights of the people,” Sanchez said in a speech in parliament.

The scandal erupted in April, when it was revealed that phones belonging to about 60 people linked to the Catalan separatist movement had been exploited by Spanish intelligence using Pegasus spyware following the Catalan independence vote in 2017.

The scandal escalated in May, when it emerged that Sanchez and the Spanish defense minister had been hacked via Pegasus’ phone.

The government will also introduce a new law on classified information that will replace the law introduced in 1968 under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

The deal led to a crisis in the relationship between Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the Catalan separatist party (Catalan Republican Left). Sanchez, who leads a minority government, relies on the Equity and Reconciliation Commission to get his proposals through parliament.