The co-founder of the powerful surveillance company NSO Group entered Panama in 2013 using an Israeli diplomatic passport, newly obtained records show, raising fresh questions about the firm’s relationship with the Israeli state.
Shalev Hulio, who helped create the invasive Pegasus spyware, arrived at Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport on December 3, 2013, according to migration documents. The forms listed his profession as “diplomat” and stated he would be staying at the Israeli embassy.
The Pegasus tool, developed by NSO Group, can infiltrate mobile phones to access files, photographs, browsing histories, and even activate microphones and cameras for surveillance purposes. Although marketed as a counterterrorism and crime-fighting weapon, a 2021 media investigation revealed the software had been sold to authoritarian governments and used to target politicians, activists, and journalists.
NSO Group has consistently denied operating the spyware for clients, possessing access to captured data, or having formal ties with Israel. While the Israeli Defense Ministry must approve foreign sales of Pegasus, both the company and officials have rejected suggestions of state links.
Human rights lawyer Eitay Mack argued the diplomatic passport discovery suggests the purported separation between NSO Group and the government may be deceptive. He noted that nations lacking formal diplomatic relations with Israel still seek Israeli surveillance technology, and NSO’s international deals help Israeli intelligence build connections with foreign counterparts.
“These companies aren’t just pursuing profits—they advance Israeli government needs,” Mack said. “NSO operated in many sensitive locations where no Israeli citizen could work without state protection for their operations and movements.”
Hulio denied the allegations, calling them “entirely false and categorically denied.” The Israeli Defense and Foreign Ministries did not comment on the matter.
The revelations emerged alongside testimony from a former Moroccan intelligence officer confirming that North African nation had access to Pegasus, contradicting its prior denials.
Hulio left his CEO position in 2022, and American investors gained controlling interest in NSO Group last year. It remains unclear whether he continues to hold a diplomatic passport.
The Panamanian migration records, obtained by reporters, identified Hulio as “Shalev Holy”—the name he used when signing the Pegasus contract with Panama in 2012. His identity number matched corporate records from Israel, and his birth date aligned with documents from companies registered in the United Kingdom and Luxembourg.
The records were also referenced in a 2014 investigation into alleged illegal wiretapping by Panamanian authorities, which examined the interception of communications from more than 150 individuals, including political opponents, journalists, and judges. That probe resulted in multiple cases against former President Ricardo Martinelli and intelligence officials.
Two former officials received 50-month prison sentences in 2023 for privacy violations linked to Pegasus. Two other intelligence officers who spent 11 years as fugitives surrendered in March 2026 and await sentencing.