Narayan AmmachchiColombia’s government launched an investigation into allegations by President Gustavo Petro that the country’s police intelligence bureau purchased and used Israeli spyware Pegasus in 2021 to surveil his campaign.
In a televised address, President Petro claimed that an unnamed Israeli bank confirmed that cash deposits totaling US$5.5 million were made into the account of NSO Group, the Israeli company that owns Pegasus. Petro cited this as evidence of the purchase.
Petro’s political oponents have dismissed the allegation, questioning how a government department like the police intelligence bureau could make large cash payments to another country without anyone noticing.
Although NSO Group is a private company, the Israeli government must approve the sale of Pegasus software, as it is classified as a weapon.
Pegasus is a piece of spyware used to gather all sorts of sensitive data from cell phones and other devices. It can be remotely installed into a device and requires no clicks from the user/victim. Once installed, the spyware can access emails, texts, phone conversations, geolacation data and other information stored in the targeted device.
NSO Group has claimed that Pegasus was designed to combat terrorism and other criminal activities. However, there’s a growing list of documented cases in which governments have used Pegasus to spy on political oponents, activists and journalists.
Gustavo Petro suggested that his presidential campaign may have been spied on by Colombian police using Pegasus. Petro’s information on cash payments did not come directly from the unnamed Israli bank, however. The tip was provided by Luis Eduardo Llinas Chia, director of Colombia’s Unit for Financial Information and Analysis (UIAF).
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