Colombia's Petro seeks probe into purchase of Israeli spyware Pegasus

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has asked the attorney general's office to investigate the $11 million purchase of Pegasus spy software, which he said could have been used to spy on opposition politicians during the previous administration.

"How does $11 million in cash leave the country on a plane, or two, from state offices ... to go to Israel to buy software that spies on cell phones, private communications, politics, perhaps for months?" Petro asked on Wednesday during a televised broadcast, citing documentation detailing the purchase from the Information and Analysis Unit (UIAF).

The president questioned if he or other politicians had been targeted and under what legal justification.

Petro requested the director of the UIAF and the head of the police turn over relevant documents and the software to the attorney general's office so that citizens can be content that their rights are respected by the state.

"We have to get to the bottom of the matter," Petro said.

Spying globally

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 notorious Israeli firm NSO — was found on the phones of various people globally, including human rights defenders.

Cybersecurity researchers have documented dozens of cases of politically motivated abuse of the spyware, including in countries like Mexico, Thailand, India, Poland and others.