Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Wednesday the start of an investigation into the acquisition of spyware by the Police Intelligence Directorate (Dipol) during the previous government, corresponding to the year 2021.
The purchase, which was carried out in a controversial manner through a cash transaction with the Israeli military company NSO Group Technologies, amounted to 11 million dollars.
In a speech addressed to the nation, Petro explained that the Pegasus software, the subject of the transaction, was acquired in a period marked by intense protests in Colombia against the policies of former President Iván Duque.
“I have asked the director of the UI to provide detailed information to the Attorney General through official channels,” said the president, questioning how $11 million in cash could have been smuggled out of the country without anyone knowing it.
The president also revealed that the payment for the software was transported from Bogotá to Tel Aviv on June 27, 2021, having been declared at Israeli customs and deposited into the company’s account on June 30 of the same year.
This spying scandal not only affects Colombia, but has resonated internationally, with recent accusations in Spain about the illegal monitoring of political figures through this same technology.
