Illegal espionage in Brazil: the home and office of one of Jair Bolsonaro’s sons searched

This Monday the Brazilian Federal Police searched the home and personal office of the councilor of Rio de Janeiro, Carlos Bolsonaro, one of the sons of former president Jair Bolsonaro. The raid is part of an investigation led by illegal espionage during his father’s tenure (2019-2022), according to media reports in that country.

The action is the continuation of the operation launched last Thursday to dismantle an alleged plot in which members of the Brazilian intelligence agency (Abin) and the federal police they spied irregularly to Bolsonaro’s political opponents to favor family interests.

The researchers then look for “advance into the political core” of that alleged illicit organization, “identifying the main recipients and beneficiaries of the information illegally produced by Abin through clandestine actions,” as reported.

Federal Police vehicles appeared in the images broadcast by the country’s main television stations in front of the house of Carlos Bolsonaro, in Rio, as well as in the personal office located inside the Municipal Chamber of the capital Fluminense.

Brazilian authorities suspect that the Rio ministry official was one of the recipients of the document information obtained illegally from Abin, as reported by the newspaper O globe. A journalistic complaint broke out in March last year.

The case followed by the Supreme Court also targets the federal representative Alessandro Ramagemimportant ally and co-religionist of Bolsonaro who was in charge of Abin during the far-right leader’s administration.

Researchers have indications of the existence of “a criminal organization who acted within the Intelligence Agency with the intent to illegally spy on people and authorities through the invasion of computers and cell phones without judicial authorization.”

The plot, according to Brazilian justice, would have attempted to “favour” Renan Bolsonaro, younger son of the former head of state and investigated in a case of influence trafficking amid suspicions that he favored a business group when his father was in power.

The highest judicial body also underlined in an official note to Senator Flávio Bolsonaro the “preparation of reports that will help him in his defense” in case he responded for the diversion of resources from the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro.

Jair Bolsonaro, accompanied by three of his sons, Senator Flávio, Deputy Eduardo and Councilor Carlos, did a “live” broadcast on social networks this Sunday in which, among other things, he criticized the way in which the Federal Police since he left. power, in January 2023, when Lula da Silva succeeded him.

The former president also faces several lawsuits against him; among these was the coup attempt on January 8 last year, when thousands of his supporters invaded and destroyed the headquarters of the three powers to overthrow Lula.

With information from EFE