Special Coverage: Hezbollah Pager Explosions Case Shifts from Hungary-Registered Company to Bulgaria Firm Owned by Norwegian
Preliminary information links the Bulgarian company Norta Global Ltd. to the sale of pagers used by Hezbollah, which later exploded in Lebanon. The Hungarian-registered firm BAC Consulting Ltd. reportedly acted as an intermediary.
The pagers, which bore the logo of Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, have caused controversy. After the explosions, Gold Apollo denied any involvement in their production, stating that it had licensed the brand to BAC Consulting Kft for sales in specific regions. Gold Apollo clarified that BAC was responsible for the design and manufacturing.
BAC Consulting, owned by 49-year-old Cristiana Arcidiancono-Barsony, who holds both Hungarian and Italian heritage, also denied involvement. Registered as a limited liability company in May 2022, BAC is listed at a residential address in Budapest, Szőnyi út 33/A.
The investigation has now shifted focus to Norta Global Ltd., a shell company based in Sofia, Bulgaria, owned by Norwegian citizen Rinson Jose. Its registered office is located at Vitosha Street No. 48, ground floor, Sofia, in the Triaditsa district, another residential address.
The Bulgarian company, like its Hungarian counterpart, is registered with a headquarters service provider, which hosts 196 other companies. Norta Global Ltd. was founded in April 2022 and is officially engaged in project management. However, it is presumed that the company does not manufacture anything.
In response to media reports alleging that a Bulgarian-registered company supplied pagers to Hezbollah, which were subsequently detonated in Lebanon and Syria, the State Agency for National Security (SANS) clarified that no customs operations involving these goods were conducted within Bulgaria. SANS, in collaboration with the National Revenue Agency and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is conducting joint inspections to investigate any possible involvement of the Bulgarian company in supplying communication equipment to Hezbollah.
SANS reports that only cash flows—around 1.6 million euros—passed through Bulgaria, with the funds being transferred to Hungary, according to a report by bTV. The investigation aims to determine the extent of Norta Global Ltd.'s involvement, if any, in the supply chain of equipment used by the Lebanese organization.
More details on Norta Global Ltd. and its owner, Rinson Jose:
Norta Global Ltd., a Bulgarian-registered company, has been drawn into an investigation surrounding its alleged role in the provision of pagers linked to explosions involving Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Founded in April 2022, Norta Global claims to operate as a project management firm. However, its registration at a shared residential address on Vitosha Street in Sofia—a site serving as the headquarters for nearly 200 other businesses—has raised suspicions that it may be a shell company.
The company’s online presence is sparse and unconvincing. Its website, globalnorta.com, a simple WordPress page hosted by FastComet in Frankfurt, contains only generic text with no real details about its operations.
Registered on April 11, 2022, the website is archived on the Wayback Machine.
Interestingly, the contact page links to a Facebook account under the name NortaLink, an entity that may be connected to Norta Global and appears to have operated as a previous shell company.
Both Norta Global and NortaLink are tied to a Norwegian citizen named Rinson Jose, though it remains unclear whether the same person is involved in both ventures or if this connection is merely coincidental.
Rinson Jose, if indeed the same individual, has a professional history that raises further questions. His LinkedIn profile lists him as the customer journey and CRM lead at DN Media Group, a position he has held since March 2022.
In this role, Jose has reportedly led efforts to digitize processes across brands, focusing on automation and HubSpot CRM strategies. Before this, he worked as the customer dialogue lead for subscriptions at the same company from 2020 to 2022.
Jose is also listed as an entrepreneur at NortaLink, a firm described as an IT services, consulting, and recruiting company. His involvement with NortaLink dates back to December 2016, though the company’s actual operations are difficult to verify.
His LinkedIn page also reflects previous business development roles, including stints at Keystone Academic Solutions and Gelato, a Norwegian IT company.
Despite his background in digital services, there is no indication that he or his associated companies have any expertise in hardware manufacturing, which makes the connection to the alleged sale of communication devices highly questionable.
The Facebook page linked to NortaLink shows activity between February 2017 and October 2021 but provides little substantial information, consisting mostly of generic posts.
NortaLink’s LinkedIn page, which directs users to norta.no, describes it as a software consulting firm, but once again, the lack of visible operations or tangible products calls the legitimacy of this company into question.
Whether Rinson Jose truly runs these entities or if there is another layer of obfuscation remains uncertain, leaving room for doubt about his direct involvement.
While reports implicate Norta Global in facilitating transactions for Hezbollah, it is important to emphasize that Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (SANS) has confirmed that no customs operations involving these pagers took place within the country.
Approximately 1.6 million euros linked to Norta Global flowed through Bulgaria and were transferred to Hungary, suggesting that the company’s role may have been primarily financial rather than operational.
However, without clear evidence of manufacturing or direct supply of hardware, any allegations against Jose, if indeed connected, should be treated with caution.
Given Jose’s background in IT consulting and digital marketing, the apparent lack of experience in manufacturing communication devices is puzzling. This raises legitimate questions about whether Norta Global is truly connected to these activities or if it serves as a financial intermediary for more shadowy operations.
The possibility that the pagers were assembled elsewhere and never passed through European customs only deepens the uncertainty surrounding Norta Global’s involvement.
Thus, while Rinson Jose’s name surfaces in connection with these companies, the absence of clear operational links to the allegations and the complex nature of shell companies suggests that further investigation is needed before drawing definitive conclusions.
