Spain last month launched an investigation into the hacking of the phones of Catalan independence politicians, and the government has confirmed that its security services are not responsible.

Sanchez’s phone was hacked in May 2021 and at least one statement was leaked at the time, Presidential Affairs Minister Felix Bolanos said at a news conference Monday.

He did not name the organization where the piracy allegations were circulating, whether it was a Spanish or foreign institution.

He said that there were external parties behind the espionage, i.e. parties outside the government system and without the license of the authorities.

He added that the report has been submitted to the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court will take over the investigation.

The announcement comes after the government-led coalition was forced to clarify the issue of the hacking of phones by political leaders in Catalonia through the Pegasus program.

Citizen Lab, a Canadian human rights group, has confirmed that the phones of more than 60 people associated with the separatist movement in Catalonia have been hacked using “Pegasus” spyware developed by an Israeli company.

As a result, the Catalan Independence Party, which has allied with the left-wing ERC Sanchez government, has announced that it will suspend support for Sanchez’s government until Madrid takes steps to regain confidence.

“The state is spying, it is spying, it will spy,” party spokesman Gabriel Rufian said in a tweet on Twitter.

The EU watchdog has called for a ban on Pegasus software amid allegations that it has been used to spy on human rights activists, journalists and politicians.