Colombia opens probe into police’s alleged purchase, illegal use of Israeli spyware
President Petro claims law enforcers used cash to buy NSO Group’s Pegasus software under previous government, used it to spy on political leaders and activists
Colombia’s attorney general on Thursday said in a statement that it has opened an investigation into the alleged purchase and illegal use of Pegasus spy software.
The decision came after a televised broadcast from Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who said a unit in the country’s national police bought the software off the books using $11 million in cash.
Spyware technology, including Pegasus, has been repeatedly found to have been used to hack into the phones of civil society, political opposition, and journalists in the last decade.
Pegasus spyware in particular — built by the Israeli firm NSO Group — was found on the phones of various people globally, including human rights defenders. The software, which can seize control of a phone’s microphone or camera and access documents, hit global headlines when a leak in 2021 showed how governments used it to spy on critics.
“The investigation seeks to establish, among other aspects, whether the negotiation between (police unit) DIPOL and NSO was finalized and, if the purchase was made, where did the money come from and what the transfer of cash Colombia to Israel involved,” the statement said.
Petro’s comments in a televised broadcast confirmed for the first time that the Colombian police intelligence service “bought in cash… software from an Israeli company to spy on mobile phones” between June and September 2021.
The police paid NSO Group $11 million for Pegasus and used the spyware to “intercept communications” of political leaders and activists, without the expense appearing anywhere in the public accounts, the president added.
“Where did the money come from? Why wasn’t it included in the official national budget?” he asked.
The acquisition of Pegasus had previously been reported by Israeli and Colombian media but was never officially acknowledged.
Petro, Colombia’s first-ever leftist president, succeeded his conservative predecessor, Ivan Duque, two years ago.
Duque’s term was marked by massive anti-government demonstrations met with a police crackdown and an increase in violence by armed groups operating in the country.
