Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro accused the director of controversial Israeli military contractor NSO Group of illegally flying at least $5.5 million out of Colombia in a clandestine arms deal.
According to Petro, NSO Group CEO Ran Gonen was one of eight people on a private aircraft that flew to Colombia in June of 2021 to pick up $5.5 million, the first of two payments made by officials of the administration of former President Ivan Duque for the purchase of military-grade spyware Pegasus.
He has committed a crime in Colombia because it is not possible for any national or foreign citizen to carry cash such as 5 million dollars. That is called asset laundering.
President Gustavo Petro
Petro made the accusations against Gonen after revealing details of two flights that allegedly arrived at the hanger of Colombia’s counternarcotics police in Bogota to pick up the money.
According to Israel’s financial intelligence unit, $11 million was subsequently deposited on NSO Group’s bank account for the purchase of Pegasus.
Colombia’s financial intelligence unit said that there exists no registry of the money leaving the country or the purchase of Pegasus by any government entity.
In a response to the president, NSO Group put out a statement in which they said the purchase of Pegasus was legal in both Colombia and Israel.
NSO is a law-abiding company. As such, all transactions were done according to the law and with proper authorization and documentation in both countries. Any other claim is inaccurate and does not reflect reality.
NSO Group
A reporter of Israeli newspaper Haaretz said in July that, according to his sources, NSO Group was told that the money used to buy Pegasus had been seized from “drug cartels”
Israel’s Financial intelligence unit told its Colombian counterpart that the payment to NSO Group was made by the National Police’s Intelligence Directorate, a.k.a. DIPOL.
Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office is investigating the purchase of the controversial software, which is currently missing.