MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil's intelligence community wants Chief Spy sacked

The Intelligence Officers' guild seeks to restore the Abin's credibility

At least 17 civil servants working for the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) want General Director Luiz Fernando Corrêa dismissed after he was indicted by the Federal Police. In a note released Friday, they summoned their colleagues to convene next Monday to discuss the issue or call for a strike.

Corrêa is suspected of biased investigations for former President Jair Bolsonaro's political gain. He is among the 35 accused by the Federal Police in the final report of the investigation into the so-called “parallel Abin” scandal, consisting of Bolsonaro allegedly spying on his political opponents in addition to questioning the ballot boxes. Corrêa is believed to have acted in “collusion” with other intelligence officers to hinder prosecutions.

The Intelis (Union of State Intelligence Professionals of Abin) expressed dissatisfaction with the director-general staying on the job after being indicted. The guild also cited the “absence of dialogue and actions of the Minister of the Civil House” and brought up other problems, such as “the lack of control of secret matters by the Federal Police and the Ministry of Justice.”

The scheme known as “parallel Abin” has spied on almost 1.8 million cell phones in Bolsonaro's government, among them public servants, ministers, journalists, artists, and lawmakers. The controversy intensified when it was revealed that Abin may have used Israeli spyware (FirstMile).

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva dismissed Abin’s Deputy Director Alessandro Moretti in early 2024. Moretti was accused of obstructing investigations and maintaining ties with former Abin chief Alexandre Ramagem, now a federal lawmaker and Bolsonaro ally.