|
Another investor – ClearSky – is expected to join Blackstone in
the deal as a secondary buyer for 10 percent, Calcalist said.
An NSO spokesman said he could not confirm the report.
Blackstone, a New York-based buyout firm, was not immediately
available to comment. ClearSky did not immediately respond to a
Reuters' request for comment.
NSO has come under international scrutiny in recent months amid
allegations the Mexican government has used NSO's Pegasus mobile
spyware to target private citizens.
Cyber researchers with Citizen Lab at the University of
Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs said last month the
Mexican government tried to install Pegasus software on devices
belonging to opposition lawmakers as well as private citizens
including human rights lawyers and journalists. [nL1N1JH01Y]
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has asked the attorney
general's office to investigate the allegations about the use of
Pegasus. He said he wanted to get to the bottom of the
accusations, which he said were false.
U.N. human rights experts on Wednesday called on the Mexican
government to conduct an impartial investigation into
allegations of illegal spying. [nL5N1KA4VF]
NSO was founded in 2009 by Omri Lavie and Shalev Hulio. Private
equity firm Francisco Partners paid $120 million to acquire a
majority stake in NSO in 2014.
Calcalist said Francisco Partners could achieve a partial exit
via the deal four times bigger than its initial investment. A
month and a half ago, NSO distributed a $230 million dividend
that will not be included in the deal's value, the newspaper
reported.
Under the deal, Francisco Partners will own 40 percent of NSO,
Blackstone and ClearSky together will hold 40 percent, the
founders will have 6 percent each and the company's 500
employees will hold the remaining 8 percent.
(Additional reporting by Jim Finkle in Toronto)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
