Mueller probes PSY Group’s money flow into Cyprus

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller is turning his attention to Cyprus and bank records of an Israeli-based firm that worked together with Cambridge Analytica to boost election chances for President Donald Trump.

Officials from PSY Group, an Israeli private intelligence company technically headquartered in Cyprus according to Bloomberg, were interviewed back in February and subpoenas were issued for its Cyprus bank records.

PSY Group, which lists a Limassol address in Cyprus with the slogan “Shape Reality” on its website, closed down shortly after the interviews. It allegedly had been using psychological warfare tactics to put together robust operations around the world for its clients, including political candidates.

Bloomberg on Tuesday described those tactics in foreign elections as “inflaming divisions in opposition groups and playing on deep-seated cultural and ethnic conflicts,” in an effort to influence public opinion and discussion.

Allegations suggest the company reached targeted audience with misleading information through web portals that were designed to appear as news organisation sites.

In November 2017, US investigators were asking the Central Bank of Cyprus a series of questions, looking into a flow of money through Cyprus, in connection with Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign manager who had just been indicted.