Casarini to File Criminal Complaint Over Alleged Spyware Use in Paragon Case
Rome: The mission chief and founder of the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans, Luca Casarini, announced his intention to file a criminal complaint with prosecutors in Rome or Palermo concerning Paragon Solutions. The company’s military-grade hacking software was reportedly used to spy on 90 individuals, including Casarini himself.
According to Ansa News Agency, Mediterranea Saving Humans revealed on Wednesday that they received official communication from Meta, the company that runs WhatsApp, alerting Casarini that his phone had been compromised in a high-level spyware operation. The software used is described as one of the most sophisticated globally. Casarini expressed that the NGO’s legal team is preparing to submit a complaint to uncover the details of the surveillance and identify the parties responsible for the alleged phone hacking.
In an exclusive report by The Guardian, it was disclosed that Paragon Solutions has ended its client relationship with Italy. This decision reportedly followed WhatsApp’s announcement that Paragon’s software was used in Italy to target individuals, including journalists and activists, among them the editor-in-chief of the online investigative news outlet Fanpage, Francesco Cancellato, and Casarini. A source familiar with the matter mentioned that Paragon had initially suspended its contract with Italy when the first allegations surfaced but decided to terminate it fully after determining that Italy had violated the terms of service and ethical guidelines of the agreement.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office at Palazzo Chigi confirmed that seven Italian citizens were targeted in these operations. The Italian government has denied any involvement of domestic intelligence services or the executive branch in the alleged breaches. Paragon Solutions markets its cyberweapon to government clients for crime prevention, but it remains unclear whether specific governmental entities were behind the alleged attacks.
European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert emphasized that national authorities are responsible for investigating such allegations, although he underlined that any illegal data access attempts, especially against journalists and political opponents, are unacceptable if proven. He also highlighted that the European Media Freedom Act includes specific protections for journalists.