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Bolsonaro and Economy minister cell phones hacked: four suspects arrested

Friday, July 26th 2019 - 09:34 UTC
Full article 13 comments
Bolsonaro has been informed that his mobile devices were targeted by the same suspected hackers, the justice ministry said in a statement Bolsonaro has been informed that his mobile devices were targeted by the same suspected hackers, the justice ministry said in a statement
Economy Minister Paulo Guedes was also the victim of the same hackers, police said on Wednesday Economy Minister Paulo Guedes was also the victim of the same hackers, police said on Wednesday

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's cell phones were allegedly targeted by a group of hackers who are also accused of breaching the devices of the investigators in a massive corruption probe, the justice ministry said on Thursday.

Four people were arrested on Tuesday over the hacking of cell phones belonging to Justice Minister Sergio Moro and prosecutors in the so-called Car Wash investigation.

Moro has said the group was the source for “those who published alleged messages obtained illegally” -- a reference to a trove of encrypted chats released by The Intercept investigative website in recent weeks.

The leaked messages show Moro, a former judge who spearheaded the Car Wash inquiry that turned him into a household name, collaborated with prosecutors to keep jailed leftist icon Lula da Silva out of the 2018 presidential race.

Moro has denied any wrongdoing and refused to resign over the scandal, saying criminals had hacked the cell phones with the aim of overturning convictions resulting from the probe that has claimed the scalps of scores of high-profile figures, including Lula, since it began in 2014.

Bolsonaro has been informed that his mobile devices were targeted by the same suspected hackers, the justice ministry said in a statement. It is not clear when the group targeted the devices or if they have been able to access any of Bolsonaro's data.

“I've always been careful with strategic information,” Bolsonaro told reporters on Thursday. “These are not communicated by telephone, so I'm not worried.”

Economy Minister Paulo Guedes was also the victim of the same hackers, police said on Wednesday.

The Intercept has refused to reveal the identity of its source or how the chats from the Telegram app were accessed.

“Moro and his allies want to suppress the revelations ... distract society's focus and delegitimize serious and hard-hitting journalism,” The Intercept said in a statement on Thursday.

Categories: Politics, Brazil.

Top Comments

Disclaimer & comment rules
  • Enrique Massot

    As judge, Sergio Moro was the epitome of what lawfare is all about: to use the judicial power to achieve means that in past times were achieved by military force.

    Moro carried out a gong show of a trial that ended up with Lula, the most powerful candidate in the recent presidential election behind bars, allowing for the triumph of Bolsonaro; next, Bolsonaro “justly” rewards Moro with the justice ministry.

    Now that his highly unlawful practices have been revealed, the logic response from the Bolsonaro-Moro strong alliance is to shoot the messenger -- in this case, well-known, awarded journalist Glenn Greenwald.

    Since the scandal was first revealed, two of main Brazil media outlets Veja and Folha de Sao Paulo have begun to publish Greenwald's stories as well.

    A difficult fire to put out.

    Jul 29th, 2019 - 03:03 am +1
  • :o))

    Hacking is a serious crime and MUST be punished, isn't it?

    Once hacked, there is no limit on which information can be stolen. The hacked-contents can be used by hackers for ANY purpose. THAT's what makes hacking dangerous & a crime!

    Once the hacked contents are spread around, there is NO control on how widely/wildly the information can be spread and who is going to use it for what purpose and in what manner!

    Besides, to be fair; the hackers can be hacked too!

    Jul 28th, 2019 - 12:07 pm 0
  • Terence Hill

    “Should it be established that Moro was involved with the Prosecution, his rulings could be
    overturned, including the Lula lawsuit which is under consideration by the Federal Supreme Court.
    Article 254 of the Code of Criminal Procedure states that “the judge shall pronounce himself or herself suspect, otherwise he or she may be recused by either party” if “he or she has advised either party”.
    Furthermore, Article 564 states that sentences handed down by suspect judges may be overturned.”
    https://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/brazil/moro-advises-officials-that-hacked-messages-seized-will-conveniently-be-destroyed/

    The real Gollum is a ”pathetic creature(that) lurks in the dark” and we all know who does that, loser.
    https://www. thetoptens.com/most-famous-tolkien-characters/
    It's noted you've turned on your apologist.

    Jul 28th, 2019 - 04:11 pm 0
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