The former president of Panama Juan Carlos Varela denied this Tuesday that he was linked to the purchase of intelligence equipment for political espionage such as Pegasus. This is stated in a statement issued this Tuesday, just days after the American newspaper “The New York Times” published an investigation in which it reveals details about the acquisition of Pegasus software by former president Ricardo Martinelli, of whom Varela was vice president. and chancellor.
“The purchase of the Pegasus system was made in 2012 when it was in opposition,” Varela says in the note.
In the same statement, the politician maintains that as vice president and chancellor, “at no time” did he participate in meetings related to the purchase of intelligence equipment. “On the contrary, I had to coordinate with international security agencies to protect their cooperation programs in the fight against organized crime,” he says.
Varela also pointed out that as vice president and opposition leader, he requested “greater controls in cooperation programs for diplomatic officials from allied countries, in the fight against organized crime, given the suspicion that they could be used for political espionage to follow up on opponents.” .
The former president also reiterated that he never participated “in any meeting with that company or with another Israeli company to handle security issues during that period.”
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