Colombia’s acting Justice Minister Andres Idarraga has accused the Ministry of Defense of using Pegasus, an Israeli spy software, to surveil his communications. The allegations have triggered an internal crisis within President Gustavo Petro’s administration, pitting high-ranking officials against one another.
Idarraga claims his phone was infected with Pegasus between August and November 2025, during his tenure as Secretary of Transparency. An independent forensic report by the firm Forensic Strategic Group, Incoseg, commissioned by the minister, seemingly confirms the intrusion.
According to the report, at least 2.3 gigabytes of data were extracted from his device, and the microphone was remotely activated 134 times. The analysis pinpointed the infection to Aug. 1, 2025, at 2:32:17 p.m.
The justice minister says the orders to spy on him with Pegasus came from military counter-intelligence
The acting Justice Minister alleged the order to spy on him using Pegasus came from Colombia’s counter-intelligence units to obstruct his investigations into corruption within the armed forces. At the time, Idarraga was probing alleged alliances between military personnel and FARC dissident groups, including those led by Ivan Mordisco and Ivan Marquez, as well as the diversion of weapons and intelligence funds.
Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez, a retired general, vehemently denied the accusations. “It has never been ordered from the Ministry of Defense or any force to conduct surveillance like the false information provided to our Minister of Justice,” Sanchez stated during a press conference in the United States. He insisted that Pegasus has not operated in Colombia since 2022.
#ATENCIÓN | 🚨El ministro de Justicia (e), Andrés Idárraga (@Aidarragaf) denuncia que está siendo espiado con el software ilegal Pegasus:
“Un informe forense confirmó que Pegasus fue usado ilegalmente para espiarme junto a mi familia.
La infiltración habría sido ordenada desde… pic.twitter.com/Evvqe7jE6E
— MinJusticia Colombia (@MinjusticiaCo) January 13, 2026
Sanchez also defended Sergeant Darwin Ramirez, whom Idarraga publicly accused of involvement. “Exposing the sergeant’s name and images puts him at risk and violates his privacy,” the defense minister said, asserting that Ramirez works in security schemes and has no intelligence responsibilities.
The Petro administration, fractured over the scandal
The scandal has exposed deep fractures within the executive branch. Interior Minister Armando Benedetti expressed solidarity with Idarraga, claiming he, too, is a victim of the spyware. “I know the anger and helplessness produced by being the object of such baseness. I only have suspicions of who still has it on my cell phone!” Benedetti wrote on social media.
In response to the crisis, President Petro called a high-level meeting on Monday with military leadership and the feuding ministers to de-escalate tensions, though the gathering was canceled at the last minute. The dispute follows other recent internal conflicts, including the resignation of Angie Rodriguez, the director of the Presidency’s Administrative Department, after a clash with the director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
The acquisition of Pegasus by the Colombian state has been a source of controversy since September 2024, when President Petro revealed that the previous administration of Ivan Duque purchased the software in 2021 for US$11 million in cash. While the Attorney General’s Office has maintained there is no certainty that the program was used in the country, magistrates from high courts have previously reported indications of illegal interceptions.