Judge closes $21 million spy equipment probe

TIME and Panama’s justice system are on the side of the thieves of over $21 million worth of equipment used to spy on the country’s citizens during the Ricardo Martinelli administration, including opposition politicians, journalists and businessmen.

The Seventh Criminal Court has denied a request for an extension to the Seventh Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, to continue with the investigations related to the purchase and whereabouts of the spy equipment Pegasus, acquired from the Israeli company NSO Group for $8 million in the last government.

A  complaint was lodged in August 2016 by the current Executive Secretary of the National Security Council (CSN), Rolando López. Named in the process are Julio Moltó and Gustavo Pérez, ex-heads of the CSN, are mentioned, reports La Prensa .

The prosecutor’s investigation revealed that Pegasus worked on the 6th floor of PH Oceania Business Plaza Torre 3000, property whose owner was the company Oceania T3000 linked to Gabriel Btesh who has fled the country

The machine stopped working on May 16, 2014 – 12 days after the presidential election. Pegasus could penetrate cell phones and computers, and pick up conversations, photos and traffic on the internet.

In addition to Pegasus, the  Martinell government bought in 2010, through the extinct Social Investment Fund, a spy machine from M.L.M. Protection for $13.4 million.

In addition, from January 2011 and until 2012 payments were made to the Italian Hacking Team, dedicated to espionage. All the equipment is missing.

Martinelli is being held in detention in the United States pending his extradition.