DNI inspection ruled out, ‘within reasonable limits’, that the Directorate had intercepted magistrates

On the afternoon of this Thursday, June 27, the General Inspection of the National Intelligence Directorate issued a press release about the possible interception of communications addressed to magistrates (of the courts) by intelligence organizations.

According to the criteria of

In the five-point statement, the DNI Inspection states that, “the General Inspection, in accordance with its legal functions, ensures that intelligence and counterintelligence activities are carried out within the framework of respect for human rights, with effectiveness and efficiency, guaranteeing the protection of the democratic regime and the constitutional order.”

In a second point, he reiterates that, “it is clear to the General Inspection that there is no legal authorization to intercept communications within the framework of intelligence and counterintelligence activities carried out by the National Intelligence Directorate.”

This was the process

In point three, the Inspection details that it ordered the opening of verification 03 of

2024, based on the information received by the General Directorate of the

DNI on February 5, 2024, related to the possible interception of

communications addressed to the honorable magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice by intelligence organizations, including the National Intelligence Directorate.

“That, in the development of said verification, the General Inspection of the DNI: i) analyzed institutional guidelines and policies for the acquisition and use of technological means; ii) verified the technological tools acquired by the entity; iii) inspected each of the intelligence premises located in Funza and Bogotá, and determined the human, technical and technological capabilities that the entity has, with no evidence of having interception equipment for devices of

communications, traditional or encrypted; iv) verified in the entity’s repository that there is no information related to the Honorable Magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice; v) ruled out the alleged carrying out of intelligence and counterintelligence activities in a building located at 92nd and 11th in this city; vi) analyzed intelligence and counterintelligence work missions carried out in the second

semester of 2023, related to internet searches, and ruled out profiling of High-ranking Justice Officials and, vii) interviewed intelligence agents and operational coordinators, who claimed to be aware of the prohibition of intercepting communications in missionary activity,” explains the inspector.

And for this reason, he assured that the General Inspection “ruled out, within the limit of reason, that the National Intelligence Directorate had had any participation in the alleged interceptions already referred to.”.

Verification will be carried out in the Ibáñez case

In the statement, the DNI Inspection indicates that, “in accordance with the statement made in the news media by the honorable magistrate of the Constitutional Court, Jorge Enrique Ibáñez, in relation to the possible interception of their

communication and those of his closest collaborators, The General Inspection decided to open the respective verification. The same situation is predicted by the High Dignitaries of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, who have noted the same concern“.

In a fifth point, it is indicated that the General Inspection is developing a verification, in order to establish whether the National Intelligence Directorate had interference,

direct or indirect, in the alleged acquisition by the Colombian Government

of the Pegasus spyware.

This, according to the publication of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz – March 26, 2024 -, where it is stated that the acquisition would have been made in 2020, through the company

NSO Group, worth $13 million.

The General Inspection, additionally, ordered to certify copies of said information before the Attorney General’s Office, for its jurisdiction.

Justice Editorial:

In X: @JusticiaET