Brazil police seek spying charges against Bolsonaro
SAO PAULO: Brazil's police on Tuesday called for far-right ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro, on trial for alleged coup-plotting, to be separately charged with illegal espionage while president, Bolsonaro's son and local media reported.
Bolsonaro risks around 40 years in prison if convicted of plotting to cling to power despite losing October 2022 elections to left-winger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
In a separate development his son Flavio said Tuesday that the police were seeking to charge him over suspicions that hundreds of public figures were illegally spied on during his 2019-2022 presidency.
The federal police in a statement confirmed that it had wrapped up its investigation 'into the existence of a criminal organization that illegally spied on public authorities and produced disinformation.'
Brazilian media reported that the police had recommended that a total of 35 people be charged in the case, including Jair Bolsonaro and another of his sons, Carlos Bolsonaro, a Rio city councillor.
The police say that the alleged spying network operated as a 'parallel structure' within Brazil's main spy agency Abin.
The suspects also include Abin's director under Bolsonaro, Congressman Alexandre Ramagem.
Ramagem is also among Bolsonaro's co-accused in the coup trial.
Investigators suspect some of Abin's agents of using the Israeli spyware FirstMile to eavesdrop on politicians from various parties, as well as on Supreme Court judges and journalists.
Writing on X, Flavio Bolsonaro, who is a senator, slammed the investigation, claiming that his father was never questioned over the allegations.
Bolsonaro, 70, has rejected any wrongdoing, claiming the various cases against him amount to politically-motivated judicial hounding, aimed at preventing him making a comeback in 2026 elections.
The former army captain dreams of emulating Donald Trump's return to the White House, despite being banned from holding public office until 2030 over his attacks on Brazil's electronic voting system.
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