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Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Bolsonaro's son and allies accused in Brazil spy agency case, source says
FILE PHOTO: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro reacts as he leaves the Federal Police headquarters after testifying, in Brasilia, Brazil, June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File photo BRASILIA - Former President Jair Bolsonaro's son and allies have been formally accused by Brazilian federal police after a probe into the alleged surveillance of authorities by spy agency ABIN during Bolsonaro's time in office, a police source and local media said. A police statement confirmed that the investigation had concluded but did not mention names of suspects. Local media and a police source said earlier that the former president had also been formally accused in the case. Later, however, local media said he had not been accused. A second police source said he has not been formally accused because he is already a defendant for the same crime - being part of a criminal organization - in a separate case about an attempted coup. According to the police statement, the investigation is centered on "the illegal monitoring of public authorities and the production of fake news, using ABIN's systems." A final report has been submitted to the Supreme Court but is under seal. Carlos Bolsonaro, a Rio de Janeiro city councilor, was formally accused of using information obtained illegally through the scheme to attack targets via social media, according to the first police source. In a series of posts on social media, the younger Bolsonaro said the accusation aimed to harm him ahead of 2026 elections, adding that "even talking became a crime". Jair Bolsonaro's lawyer told Reuters that he was not aware of the case and had not seen the police report. Alexandre Ramagem, the former head of ABIN under Bolsonaro's administration, and Luiz Fernando Correa, the current head of the agency, were also formally accused, according to the police source who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. Ramagem is believed to have set up the scheme while Correa is suspected of obstructing the police investigation during President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration, the source said. Ramagem said in a post on X that he will analyze the accusations once he has access to the police report. He called the probe an act of "creativity addressed to the press". ABIN declined to comment. The parallel structure in ABIN set up under the Bolsonaro government monitored at least three Supreme Court justices and a former Lower House speaker, according to Supreme Court documents. It will now be up to the prosecutors' office to decide whether to file charges. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Brazil's Bolsonaro accused in spy agency case as coup trial is ongoing
Brazil's federal police have formally accused far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro of involvement in an illegal spying network that allegedly snooped on political rivals, journalists and environmentalists during his administration. Court records allege that under one of Bolsonaro's aides, Brazil's spy agency, Agencia Brasileira de Inteligencia (ABIN), ran a 'criminal organisation of high offensive capability' from 2019 to 2023, local media reported Tuesday. According to the police, ABIN used a software called FirstMile, developed by the Israeli company Cognyte. A Supreme Court document contains the names of several Brazilian public figures who were targets of the snooping operation, including Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, former Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, and the current head of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies or lower house, Arthur Lira. The agency was also used to illegally spy on tax auditors who were investigating the president's eldest son, Flavio Bolsonaro, according to prosecutors. The intention was to find dirt on them to halt a corruption probe from when the younger Bolsonaro was a Rio de Janeiro councilman. Names of senior officials from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) were also on the list. As president, Bolsonaro cut the budget of IBAMA by 30 percent between 2019 and 2020, while also cutting funding for other environmental agencies. When he was in office, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon surged, and Bolsonaro was accused of facilitating this destruction. Journalists Monica Bergamo of Folha de S Paulo newspaper and Vera Magalhaes of O Globo newspaper were also targeted, the document alleges. The allegations add to a slew of probes against Bolsonaro, who was rendered ineligible to run for office in 2030 after a failed 2022 re-election campaign. He is also embroiled in a jewellery embezzlement case as well as a case pertaining to him forging his COVID-19 vaccine records. Last week, Bolsonaro appeared before the Supreme Court for the first time and denied participation in an alleged plot to remain in power and overturn the 2022 election result that he lost to current left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The Supreme Court headquarters in Brasilia was one of the primary targets of a rioting mob of supporters known as 'Bolsonaristas', who raided government buildings in January 2023 as they urged the military to oust Lula, an insurrection attempt that evoked the supporters of Bolsonaro ally United States President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021. Bolsonaro was abroad in Florida in the US at the time of this last-gasp effort to keep him in power after the alleged coup planning fizzled. But his opponents have accused him of fomenting the rioting. Bolsonaro said in his testimony that the rioters were 'crazy,' not coup mongers. 'There was never any talk of a coup. A coup is an abominable thing,' Bolsonaro said. 'Brazil couldn't go through an experience like that. And there was never even the possibility of a coup in my government.' The far-right politician admitted to discussing 'possibilities' with the heads of the armed forces following his defeat to Lula, but argued that it had been within constitutional limits. A coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years in Brazil. A conviction on that and other charges could bring decades behind bars. The former president has repeatedly denied the allegations and asserted that he is the target of political persecution.
CNA
13 hours ago
- Politics
- CNA
Brazil's Bolsonaro, others formally accused in spy agency case
BRASILIA: Brazil 's federal police have formally accused former President Jair Bolsonaro, his son Carlos Bolsonaro and others in a probe into the alleged illegal surveillance by spy agency ABIN on authorities during Bolsonaro's presidential term. In a statement without citing names, the federal police confirmed the conclusion of the investigation, detailing the "existence of a criminal organisation focused on the illegal monitoring of public authorities and the production of fake news, using ABINS's systems." The final report reached the supreme court, but it is under seal, according to a federal police statement. Bolsonaro, who is already a defendant in a coup attempt case, was allegedly aware of Abin's illegal surveillance scheme and benefited from it, according to a federal police source. His lawyer told Reuters that he was not aware of the case and had not seen the federal police report. Carlos Bolsonaro, a Rio de Janeiro city councillor, was indicted on suspicion of using information obtained illegally through the scheme to attack targets via social media. Alexandre Ramagem, former head of ABIN under Bolsonaro's administration, and Luiz Fernando Correa, the current head of the agency, were also indicted. Correa is suspected of obstructing the Federal Police's investigation during President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration. Abin declined to comment. Ramagem's press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Carlos Bolsonaro could not be reached. The government is monitoring Correa's situation, but there is no decision so far on his permanence or possible replacement, according to a source. Last year, Reuters reported that the parallel structure in Abin set up under the Bolsonaro government monitored at least three supreme court justices. After the indictment, it will now be up to the attorney general's office to decide whether to file charges against the Bolsonaro and the others involved in the case.
Al Jazeera
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Brazil's Bolsonaro accused in spy agency case as coup trial is ongoing
Brazil's federal police have formally accused far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro of involvement in an illegal spying network that allegedly snooped on political rivals, journalists and environmentalists during his administration. Court records allege that under one of Bolsonaro's aides, Brazil's spy agency, Agencia Brasileira de Inteligencia (ABIN), ran a 'criminal organisation of high offensive capability' from 2019 to 2023, local media reported Tuesday. According to the police, ABIN used a software called FirstMile, developed by the Israeli company Cognyte. A Supreme Court document contains the names of several Brazilian public figures who were targets of the snooping operation, including Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, former Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, and the current head of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies or lower house, Arthur Lira. The agency was also used to illegally spy on tax auditors who were investigating the president's eldest son, Flavio Bolsonaro, according to prosecutors. The intention was to find dirt on them to halt a corruption probe from when the younger Bolsonaro was a Rio de Janeiro councilman. Names of senior officials from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) were also on the list. As president, Bolsonaro cut the budget of IBAMA by 30 percent between 2019 and 2020, while also cutting funding for other environmental agencies. When he was in office, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon surged, and Bolsonaro was accused of facilitating this destruction. Journalists Monica Bergamo of Folha de S Paulo newspaper and Vera Magalhaes of O Globo newspaper were also targeted, the document alleges. The allegations add to a slew of probes against Bolsonaro, who was rendered ineligible to run for office in 2030 after a failed 2022 re-election campaign. He is also embroiled in a jewellery embezzlement case as well as a case pertaining to him forging his COVID-19 vaccine records. Last week, Bolsonaro appeared before the Supreme Court for the first time and denied participation in an alleged plot to remain in power and overturn the 2022 election result that he lost to current left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The Supreme Court headquarters in Brasilia was one of the primary targets of a rioting mob of supporters known as 'Bolsonaristas', who raided government buildings in January 2023 as they urged the military to oust Lula, an insurrection attempt that evoked the supporters of Bolsonaro ally United States President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021. Bolsonaro was abroad in Florida in the US at the time of this last-gasp effort to keep him in power after the alleged coup planning fizzled. But his opponents have accused him of fomenting the rioting. Bolsonaro said in his testimony that the rioters were 'crazy,' not coup mongers. 'There was never any talk of a coup. A coup is an abominable thing,' Bolsonaro said. 'Brazil couldn't go through an experience like that. And there was never even the possibility of a coup in my government.' The far-right politician admitted to discussing 'possibilities' with the heads of the armed forces following his defeat to Lula, but argued that it had been within constitutional limits. A coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years in Brazil. A conviction on that and other charges could bring decades behind bars. The former president has repeatedly denied the allegations and asserted that he is the target of political persecution.
Reuters
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Brazil's Bolsonaro, others formally accused in spy agency case
BRASILIA, June 17 (Reuters) - Brazil's federal police have formally accused former President Jair Bolsonaro, his son Carlos Bolsonaro and others in a probe into the alleged illegal surveillance by spy agency ABIN on authorities during Bolsonaro's presidential term. In a statement without citing names, the federal police confirmed the conclusion of the investigation, detailing the "existence of a criminal organization focused on the illegal monitoring of public authorities and the production of fake news, using ABINS's systems." The final report reached the supreme court, but it is under seal, according to a federal police statement. Bolsonaro, who is already a defendant in a coup attempt case, was allegedly aware of Abin's illegal surveillance scheme and benefited from it, according to a federal police source. His lawyer told Reuters that he was not aware of the case and had not seen the federal police report. Carlos Bolsonaro, a Rio de Janeiro city councilor, was indicted on suspicion of using information obtained illegally through the scheme to attack targets via social media. Alexandre Ramagem, former head of ABIN under Bolsonaro's administration, and Luiz Fernando Correa, the current head of the agency, were also indicted. Correa is suspected of obstructing the Federal Police's investigation during President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration. Abin declined to comment. Ramagem's press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Carlos Bolsonaro could not be reached. The government is monitoring Correa's situation, but there is no decision so far on his permanence or possible replacement, according to a source. Last year, Reuters reported that the parallel structure in Abin set up under the Bolsonaro government monitored at least three supreme court justices. After the indictment, it will now be up to the attorney general's office to decide whether to file charges against the Bolsonaro and the others involved in the case.
