Devendra Kumar
Brazilian police conducted nine searches on Monday as part of a broader investigation into the nation’s intelligence agency and alleged spying on political opponents during the term of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The search warrants targeted the homes and office of Carlos Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and a Rio de Janeiro city councillor, as well as the office and home of the former chief of Brazil’s intelligence agency under Bolsonaro, Alexandre Ramagem.
According to a statement from the police, they are investigating a group that allegedly monitored “political enemies” and sought information about the existence of investigations related to the children of the then president of the Republic, Jair Messias Bolsonaro. The group is suspected of using the agency’s tools and services for political use and personal gain, and of seeking to interfere with ongoing police investigations.
The investigation is widening and has led to the seizure of a computer that belonged to the intelligence agency, ABIN. The agency is accused of using a software developed by an Israeli company, Cognyte, to monitor targets and public authorities with the aim of creating false narratives. The software allows for the geolocalisation of mobile phones, and police have identified over 60,500 uses of the software between 2019 and 2021.
The case has sparked controversy, with the Bolsonaro family accused of creating a parallel intelligence unit within the agency. In a TV interview, Gustavo Bebianno, a former aide to Jair Bolsonaro, claimed that Carlos Bolsonaro had spoken to him about creating a parallel intelligence unit within the agency. Carlos Bolsonaro’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but his father, Jair Bolsonaro, has defended the investigation, saying it is a “fishing expedition”.
The investigation is ongoing, and it remains to be seen whether it will uncover any evidence of wrongdoing by the Bolsonaro family or the intelligence agency.