Friend
Professional
- Messages
- 2,653
- Reaction score
- 852
- Points
- 113
Taking out money by plane and spying on the opposition is only part of the actions of the previous president.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has asked the Attorney General's Office to investigate the purchase of Pegasus spyware worth $11 million. According to Petro, Pegasus could have been used to spy on the political opposition during the previous president's rule. In his address, Petro raised the important question of how such a significant amount could have been taken out of the country in cash to buy spyware abroad. According to him, the money for the purchase of Pegasus was delivered to Israel by private jets, which raises many suspicions.
The president clarified that in July and August 2021, an Israeli bank reported an unusual payment related to an $11 million agreement between NSO Group and Colombian Police Intelligence (Dipol). Cash payments were sent from Bogotá to Tel Aviv in two shipments of $5.5 million. Petro also noted that such transactions were intended to raise suspicions in Israel's financial system. Although Israeli media have previously reported on Colombia's acquisition of Pegasus spyware, Petro's announcement was the first official confirmation of these transactions.
Petro also stressed that the deal was not officially formalized in the national budget through the relevant authorities and called the purchase "money laundering at the state level". The president expressed doubts about the legality of the acquisition of the software, pointing to the lack of a court warrant necessary to carry out the seizure of funds, as required by the Colombian constitution.
Petro also expressed concern about whether he or other politicians were the target of surveillance and on what basis such activities could be carried out. However, the president believes that the previous administration may have used Pegasus to leak information related to Petro's election campaign. The president called on regulators and police to provide the prosecutor's office with all relevant documents and the software itself. This is necessary to guarantee citizens that their rights are protected and respected. The previous president, Ivan Duque, and his administration have not yet responded to Petro's accusations.
Pegasus has been repeatedly linked to the hacking of the phones of activists, journalists and politicians around the world. Spyware developed by the Israeli company NSO Group allows access to mobile devices, which compromises the confidentiality of personal and official data. There are also cases of use against human rights defenders.
Source
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has asked the Attorney General's Office to investigate the purchase of Pegasus spyware worth $11 million. According to Petro, Pegasus could have been used to spy on the political opposition during the previous president's rule. In his address, Petro raised the important question of how such a significant amount could have been taken out of the country in cash to buy spyware abroad. According to him, the money for the purchase of Pegasus was delivered to Israel by private jets, which raises many suspicions.
The president clarified that in July and August 2021, an Israeli bank reported an unusual payment related to an $11 million agreement between NSO Group and Colombian Police Intelligence (Dipol). Cash payments were sent from Bogotá to Tel Aviv in two shipments of $5.5 million. Petro also noted that such transactions were intended to raise suspicions in Israel's financial system. Although Israeli media have previously reported on Colombia's acquisition of Pegasus spyware, Petro's announcement was the first official confirmation of these transactions.
Petro also stressed that the deal was not officially formalized in the national budget through the relevant authorities and called the purchase "money laundering at the state level". The president expressed doubts about the legality of the acquisition of the software, pointing to the lack of a court warrant necessary to carry out the seizure of funds, as required by the Colombian constitution.
Petro also expressed concern about whether he or other politicians were the target of surveillance and on what basis such activities could be carried out. However, the president believes that the previous administration may have used Pegasus to leak information related to Petro's election campaign. The president called on regulators and police to provide the prosecutor's office with all relevant documents and the software itself. This is necessary to guarantee citizens that their rights are protected and respected. The previous president, Ivan Duque, and his administration have not yet responded to Petro's accusations.
Pegasus has been repeatedly linked to the hacking of the phones of activists, journalists and politicians around the world. Spyware developed by the Israeli company NSO Group allows access to mobile devices, which compromises the confidentiality of personal and official data. There are also cases of use against human rights defenders.
Source
