US Purchased Pegasus for Colombia in $11M Deal

• The US provided $11M for the purchase of Pegasus Spyware for use in Colombia, Ambassador claims
• The transaction was structured to avoid traceability, raising suspicions on the legitimacy of using the software to combat narcotics trafficking, Ambassador says
• Colombia has been investigating the use of Pegasus by the prior administration

As previously reported by The Rage, Colombia is investigating its Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) for potential involvement in a major spyware scandal tied to Pegasus, a controversial surveillance software.

The investigation follows allegations that sensitive information about Pegasus sales was improperly disclosed by Colombian authorities, prompting the country’s suspension from the Egmont Group, an international coalition of FIUs to share financial intelligence. The probe focuses on whether the FIU mishandled confidential data, raising broader concerns about oversight and the misuse of surveillance tools​.

In a update to this story, new details are emerging that the U.S. government may have helped facilitate the acquisition of Pegasus for use in Columbia.

In a press release from the Embassy of Columbia to the United States Daniel García-Peña, Colombia’s ambassador to the U.S., discusses a meeting with senior White House officials earlier this month where it was confirmed that the U.S. provided the $11 million in cash to purchase the Pegasus surveillance software and that it was intended to help combat drug cartels in Columbia and Mexico.

Mexico has been reported to have been the biggest user of Pegasus, using the software to target journalists and human rights activists, including Mexico's undersecretary for human rights.

"[The US] assured us that [...] there was supervision by U.S. authorities to supposedly guarantee that it was only directed against these drug trafficking leaders," García-Peña states. "President Duque was not really aware of the operation," the White House reportedly stated.

However, García-Peña notes that "there are still many doubts that we need to clarify," raising concerns over the nature of the transaction. Using cash to "avoid traceability of resources [...] makes this operation more suspicious for me and for all. These are the questions we are still asking."

Columbia continues to demand full transparency on what occurred and the disclosure of any information that was collected by the software during the 15 to 18 months it was in operation within Columbia.

There has been no official confirmation or denial from the U.S. government concerning it's role in this matter. The FBI, DEA, and ICE did not respond to requests for comment by DropSite news, who first reported on the story.

It remains unclear why the U.S. Government was involved in the sale and whether the deal was made using US taxpayer funds.

Recently unsealed court documents from a WhatsApp lawsuit against NSO Group suggest that NSO played a direct role in deploying its Pegasus spyware, contradicting claims that its government clients alone operate the tool.

In 2023, President Biden signed an executive order prohibiting the use of commercial spyware such as Pegasus by the United States Government.