Brazil intelligence agency’s second-in-command fired in Bolsonaro illegal spying probe

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on Tuesday (Jan 30) sacked the country’s deputy intelligence director amid an investigation into alleged illegal espionage during his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency. 

What happened?

Alessandro Moretti, second-in-command at the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) was fired by Lula, according to an announcement in an official gazette published on Tuesday. The bulletin named political scientist Marco Aurelio Cepik as his replacement, without giving further details.

Moretti is under investigation by the federal police which is looking into a clandestine government network which allegedly used Israeli spyware FirstMile to illegally spy on hundreds of politicians and public figures between 2019 and 2022, when Bolsonaro was president. 

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The investigators believe a group within the Abin spied on Bolsonaro’s perceived opponents, including supreme court justices and the former lower-house speaker. 

Moretti’s dismissal also comes amid speculation Lula could fire top figures at the Abin over the scandal.

How is Bolsonaro’s son involved?

A report by Reuters, on Tuesday citing two sources and a spokesman for the former president’s family said that the police have also raided a property linked to Bolsonaro’s son Carlos. 

According to an AFP report, the police raid took place on Monday (Jan 29), following an order by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes – who himself was an alleged target of Israeli spyware. 

The police have identified Carlos, who is a member of the Rio de Janeiro city council, as part of the “political nucleus” suspected of ordering the illegal spying, said the supreme court judge. 

Notably, Bolsonaro’s son was already under investigation for running a fake news factory but has denied any wrongdoing in that case. On Tuesday, the former president’s second son appeared for questioning by federal police but made no statement to the media. 

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The former president slammed the investigation a day before the police raid at his son’s properties and called it “persecution.” 

In an interview with CBN radio, Lula called Bolsonaro’s claim “a bunch of nonsense.” 

“The Brazilian government doesn’t give orders to the federal police, much less the courts,” said the incumbent president. When asked if he trusted Abin’s current leadership in the context of the current scandal, Lula said “you can never be sure”. 

However, he expressed “great confidence” in Abin director Luiz Fernando Correa, whom he named to the post.

(With inputs from agencies)