PARLIAMENT The Prime Minister's Office has denied purchasing spying software from an Italian-based firm.

"There has been no purchase of spying tools by the Prime Minister's Office," said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Azalina Othman Said today.

Azalina said this in a written reply to a query by Tian Chua (PKR-Batu).

Previously it was reported that the PMO had purchased citizen-spying software from Milan firm Hacking Team.

The matter came to light after Hacking Team's website was hacked and its data leaked in July.

Other Malaysian clients allegedly uncovered in the data leak were the Military Intelligence and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The documents showed MACC as the biggest payer to Hacking Team, followed by MI and PMO.

The MACC has reportedly paid €789,123 (about RM3.32 million) to Hacking Team, including maintenance for the year 2016.

This is despite initial reports that MACC's software licence had lapsed in 2014. It is unclear if the report is based on the most up-to-date documents.

Hacking Team had since regained its account and sought to dismiss the legitimacy of its stolen information that was uploaded online.

The spyware sold by Hacking Team is a trojan which, once activated by opening the file, can track, eavesdrop and download information from the victim's computer.