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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Bolsonaro was main beneficiary in illegal surveillance scheme, Brazil police allege
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attends Brazil's Supreme Court trial over an alleged coup attempt, in Brasilia, Brazil June 9, 2025. REUTERS/Diego Herculano/File Photo BRASILIA - Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro allegedly helped orchestrate an illegal surveillance scheme by intelligence agency ABIN to target his political enemies during his term, a federal police report showed on Wednesday. The report, which was released by the Supreme Court, said the group used ABIN to spy on and attack political foes and state institutions and to disseminate fake news. The findings, based on testimony, documents from search operations and other evidence, identified Bolsonaro as the "main beneficiary" from the surveillance. Bolsonaro's lawyer, Celso Vilardi, said he had not yet reviewed the police report and could not comment. Despite implicating Bolsonaro, police did not formally accuse him in the report, which did accuse more than 30 other individuals. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said he made the findings public after leaks led to conflicting media reports on the matter on Tuesday. Police noted potential links between the ABIN probe and an investigation into an alleged coup attempt, in which Bolsonaro is already a defendant. The decision on whether to charge Bolsonaro in the surveillance case has been left to Brazil's Prosecutor General's Office. Among those formally accused was Carlos Bolsonaro, the former president's son and a Rio de Janeiro city councilor, who police alleged was part of the criminal organization. The younger Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing, stating on Tuesday that the investigation aimed to harm him ahead of next year's elections. Alexandre Ramagem, the former head of ABIN under Bolsonaro's administration, and Luiz Fernando Correa, the current head of the agency, were also among the people formally accused by police, the report showed. Ramagem was accused of being part of a criminal organization and using ABIN to illegal ends, while Correa is suspected of obstructing the police investigation into the agency, police said. Ramagem could not be reached for comment on Wednesday, but said in a post on X on Tuesday that he would analyze the accusations once he had access to the police report. ABIN did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. It had declined to comment on Tuesday. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- 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.
CNA
4 days ago
- CNA
Brazil sells rights to oil blocks near Amazon river mouth
RIO DE JANIERO, Brazil: Brazil sold extraction rights to 19 oil and gas blocks near the mouth of the Amazon river Tuesday (Jun 17), at an auction slammed by environmentalists months before the country is to host a UN climate summit. Two consortiums, one comprising Brazil's state-owned Petrobras and US giant ExxonMobil, the other US multinational Chevron and China's CNPC, spent US$153 million on exploration and production concessions for 19 blocks on offer in an area considered vulnerable to environmental harm. They are among 172 blocks, most of them offshore, that went on auction Tuesday as dozens of protesters gathered outside the venue under a banner reading: "Stop the doomsday auctions." Green groups have expressed particular concern over 47 blocks in the Atlantic, in an area near the mouth of the Amazon River that flows through the world's largest carbon-capturing tropical rainforest. The first 19 blocks to which rights were sold were part of these 47. In all, 34 blocks found takers at the auction, bringing in about US$180 million for the state. 'Cannot ignore it' Already Latin America's biggest oil and gas producer, Brazil is seeking to increase production from 4.68 million to 5.3 million barrels per day by 2030. At the same time, the country has pledged to reduce its emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions to 1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e). By 2050, it is seeking to reach neutrality, meaning emissions do not exceed the amount captured, by forests, for example. Brazil's ClimaInfo research institute had estimated that the 172 blocks placed on auction would emit some 11.1 billion tons of CO2e. Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, seeking to position himself as a leader in the fight against climate change, supported the auction that will see the successful bidders pay royalties on whatever oil and natural gas they eventually do extract. "If this wealth exists, we cannot ignore it, as it will help us to make the energy transition and secure funds to preserve our forests," Lula declared in February. "We must act responsibly. I do not want oil exploration to cause any harm to the environment," he added. Before they can start exploration, the companies must obtain a drilling license from environment oversight body Ibama, a process that can take years. The Climate Action Tracker, which measures governments' actions, has said Brazil "is not on track" to meet its emissions targets and needed to "peak and rapidly decrease emissions" if the world is to succeed in limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The auction went ahead despite Brazil's Federal Public Ministry, an independent rights-monitoring body set up under the Brazilian constitution, calling for it to be suspended pending "adequate studies" on the potential impact of exploration. "Brazil is missing an opportunity to be a leader in decarbonisation and environmental protection," Suely Araujo, a former president of Ibama and coordinator of the Climate Observatory NGO said ahead of Tuesday's auction. And the WWF's Brazil branch said the country "already has enough oil reserves to meet its internal demand" while gradually transitioning to a greener energy mix. "The climate crisis requires bold decisions and public policies focused on the future, not the past," it added.
