Brazil probes ex-spy chief in illegal espionage raids
World
Brazil probes ex-spy chief in illegal espionage raids
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's federal police on Thursday searched addresses linked to far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro's ex-spy chief, as part of an investigation into alleged illegal spying by the Abin intelligence agency, two sources said.
The probe into suspected illegal surveillance of Bolsonaro's foes in the courts, politics and media adds to the former president's legal woes. He has already been ruled politically ineligible until 2030 and faces multiple criminal investigations that could still land him in jail.
Federal police officers on Thursday searched addresses linked to Congressman Alexandre Ramagem, a former federal cop and Bolsonaro loyalist who led Abin from 2019-2022, two sources told Reuters. Among the locations searched was Ramagem's congressional office in Brasilia, they said.
Ramagem, whom Bolsonaro tried to appoint to lead the federal police in 2020 in a move that was ultimately blocked by the Supreme Court, did not respond to a request for comment.
In recent weeks, Ramagem had been gearing up for a run to be mayor of Rio de Janeiro.
In a statement, the federal police said seven of its officers had been suspended while they are investigated for alleged involvement in the scheme. A total of 21 search and seizure raids were carried out in locations including the capital Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, the statement added.
Thursday's operation was ordered by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has led multiple probes into Bolsonaro and his supporters over their conduct before and after the 2022 election won by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
