Colombia Suspended from Egmont Group Following Gustavo Petro’s Speech Over Pegasus Spyware

As a result of Gustavo Petro revealing clasified information about the Pegasus spyware, the President of the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units, Elżbieta Franków-Jaśkiewicz, confirmed the suspension of Colombia from the program, and said: “Due to recent actions involving FIU Colombia and the unauthorized disclosure of information provided by one of our members, the Egmont Group Heads of FIU have confirmed the suspension of FIU Colombia’s access to the Egmont Secure Web (ESW).

The Egmont Group is a global organization of 177 Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) that supports international efforts to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and related crimes.

In response, the Petro acknowledged that he shared this information, but he described it as “the cost of truth.” He also stated that: “Now Colombia knows that an official document from the Israeli agency IMPA, which I declassified under Colombian intelligence law and in defense of human rights, indeed shows the dates, method, and bank where 11 million dollars were deposited to purchase the Pegasus communication interception software by DIPOL (Police Intelligence Department) of Colombia during the Duque administration.”

Luis Fernando Llinás, Head of the Financial Information and Analysis Unit (UIAF), said that the organization has been cautelous and professional with the information it handles. He added that “the role of the UIAF is simply to verify whether there were any operations or financial transactions that could have led to the presence of software from an Israeli company, which is considered by the National Defense as a weapon to fight terrorism, in the country or not.”

Nonetheless, in an interview, Linás confirmed that this information couldn’t be shared and that Colombia had to ask for permission from Israel in order to do so.

What does this measure mean for Colombia?

The organization provides a secure platform for FIUs to exchange financial intelligence and expertise, promoting international cooperation. This platform, the the Egmont Secure Web (ESW) is used by 177 members to share information related to money laundering,  and terrorist financing.

Without access to this platform, Colombia is isolated from one of the main sources of global financial intelligence, which significantly limits the country’s ability to track illicit financial flows and collaborate on international investigations.

Elżbieta also said that: “Effective international cooperation is paramount to the success of the fight against money laundering, associated predicate offenses, and terrorist financing. The Egmont Group’s commitment to international cooperation is fundamental. It is built on a solid foundation of mutual trust, ensuring that member Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) comply with high standards of accountability towards the protection and confidentiality of the financial intelligence being exchanged.”

The organization stated that the measure will remain in effect while the institution continues to assess the situation according to its internal procedures and reminded that “FIUs must remain free from any undue political, government, or industry influence or interference which might compromise its operational independence and put fellow member FIUs at risk of exposure to sensitive data breaches or breaches of confidentiality”.

Above photo: Archive Presidency of Colombia