Abin Paralela: PF claims that Bolsonaro spied on STF ministers, politicians, journalists, and protected his son in the 'Rachadinhas' case
Investigators claim that the intelligence sector monitored auditors and sought information to invalidate investigations, in addition to carrying out surveillance on STF Ministers, deputies, senators, governors, journalists and employees of Ibama and the Federal Revenue Service.
The minister of the Federal Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, was one of the authorities monitored by the parallel Abin - Photo Reproduction/Mateus Bonomi/Estadão
Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), made public this Thursday (11) the most recent phase of Operation Last Mile. Since 2023, this operation has investigated the alleged misuse of Brazilian Intelligence Agency systems (Abin) to spy on authorities and political opponents in the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). According to PF investigations, former president Jair Bolsonaro was aware of this spy network, known as "Abin Paralela", created with the aim of hindering investigations against his son, senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), in the case of 'rachadinhas' and invalidate the evidence obtained by the Federal Revenue Service.
This information is contained in the decision of Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), which authorized the arrest of four people involved in the scheme. According to the document, agency employees monitored the Federal Revenue agents responsible for the report that initiated investigations against the senator. At the time, Flávio was being investigated for practicing racketeering in his office at the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj). The objective, in addition to monitoring, was to obtain information that could compromise auditors and obstruct investigations. The measures would have been ordered by Alexandre Ramagem, who at the time was general director of Abin and is currently a federal deputy for Rio de Janeiro.
Context of the 'Rachadinhas' Case
The 'Rachadinhas' Case involves allegations that Flávio Bolsonaro, while a state deputy in Rio de Janeiro, led a scheme in which employees from his office returned part of their salaries to Flávio himself. This scheme, known as "rachadinha", is illegal and constitutes embezzlement. The investigations began to gain strength in 2018, leading to a series of searches and seizures, in addition to the freezing of the senator's assets.
In parallel
The PF investigation discovered that Abin Paralela was made up of agents from Agência Abin who operated outside official channels. These agents would have been assigned to monitor and possibly obstruct the investigation against Flávio Bolsonaro. Abin Paralela would have been created with the consent and direct coordination of figures close to Jair Bolsonaro, including high-ranking members of the government and Abin itself. According to Moraes' decision, in relation to the investigations involving Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the police authority presented information about the use of the ABIN structure to monitor the auditors of the Federal Revenue of Brazil.
These auditors were responsible for the Financial Information Report (RIF) that initiated the investigation into the diversion of part of the salaries of ALERJ employees in the case known as "rachadinha". The objective of this surveillance was even to obtain compromising information about the auditors. According to the Federal Police, there is evidence that former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) was involved in the scheme.
According to the report, Alexandre Ramagem recorded a one-hour meeting in which Bolsonaro, General Augusto Heleno were present (at the time head of the Institutional Security Office) and a lawyer from Flávio to discuss the matter. During the meeting, Ramagem suggested opening an investigation against the tax auditors to annul the evidence and also proposed their removal from their positions.
The report also reveals that there is an audio of one hour and eight minutes, possibly recorded by Delegate Alexandre Ramagem, in which the then President of the Republic Jair Bolsonaro, General Heleno from the Institutional Security Office (GSI) and possibly Senator Flávio's lawyer Bolsonaro discuss the alleged irregularities committed by Federal Revenue auditors in preparing the Tax Intelligence Report that motivated the investigation.
The document points out that the transcribed audio contains metadata dated 08/25/2020. In it, Delegate Alexandre Ramagem suggests the need to initiate an administrative procedure against the IRS auditors to nullify the investigation, in addition to suggesting the removal of some auditors from their positions, as detailed in the report.
Authority Monitoring
According to the PF, the "parallel Abin" also carried out illegal espionage against various authorities and personalities, including ministers of the Federal Supreme Court, such as Alexandre de Moraes, Dias Toffoli, Luís Roberto Barroso and Luiz Fux; figures from the Legislative Branch such as the current president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), deputy Kim Kataguiri (União-SP) and former deputies Rodrigo Maia, Joice Hasselmann and Jean Wyllys (PSOL); and senators such as Alessandro Vieira (MDB-SE), Omar Aziz (PSD-AM), Renan Calheiros (MDB-AL) and Randolfe Rodrigues (no party-AP), who were part of Covid's CPI in the Senate.
Within the scope of the Executive Branch, João Doria, former governor of São Paulo, was also targeted, as well as Ibama employees such as Hugo Ferreira Netto Loss and Roberto Cabral Borges, and auditors from the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service such as Christiano José Paes Leme Botelho, Cleber Homen da Silva and José Pereira de Barros Neto. Among the journalists investigated were Monica Bergamo, Vera Magalhães, Luiza Alves Bandeira and Pedro Cesar Batista. According to investigations by the Federal Police, these people were the target of parallel Abin operations, which even created false profiles and disseminated false news.
Covid’s Electoral System and CPI
Federal Police investigations revealed dialogues between Giancarlo Rodrigues and Marcelo Bormevet, indicating "possible clandestine actions'' against ministers Alexandre de Moraes and Luís Roberto Barroso, aiming to question the credibility of the electoral system. Both were subject to arrest warrants during an operation carried out this Thursday. Furthermore, according to PF investigations, Abin had been used clandestinely to investigate senator Alessandro Vieira, who was part of the Senate's Covid Parliamentary Inquiry Committee.
This commission investigated possible irregularities in the Bolsonaro government's management of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the end of the work, the commission recommended the indictment of the former president, former ministers and several people linked to Jair Bolsonaro. Alessandro Vieira asked the CPI that Carlos Bolsonaro, son of President Jair Bolsonaro, provide clarifications, in addition to asking for the breaking of the Rio de Janeiro councilor's banking, tax, telephone and messaging secrecy.
During the investigations, Marcelo Bormevet and Giancarlo Rodrigues allegedly committed themselves to disseminating "misinformation" about Vieira. In an intercepted dialogue, Giancarlo mentions: "Senator Alessandro Vieira is at the CPI." Bormevet responds: "Just rubbish." Giancarlo suggests: "Let's spread this. Ask the CB (Carlos Bolsonaro) to get involved." Giancarlo concludes: "I'm already passing information on to people." The Police highlight that the dissemination of disinformation was directly linked to a member of the political nucleus of the illegal scheme, specifically Carlos Bolsonaro.
Arrest Warrants and Legal Consequences
According to the PF, in the Operation Last Mile phase, carried out this Thursday, five preventive arrest warrants and seven search and seizure warrants were served in Brasília (DF), Curitiba (PR), Juiz de Fora (MG), Salvador (BA) and São Paulo (SP). The targets of the warrants are Mateus de Carvalho Sposito, Richards Dyer Pozzer, Rogério Beraldo de Almeida, Marcelo Araújo Bormevet and Giancarlo Gomes Rodrigues. The warrants were authorized by the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes as part of Operation Last Mile, resulting from investigations into the fake news inquiry.
In the decision, Moraes also determined that those under investigation should not communicate with each other. In addition to the individuals mentioned, this restriction applies to Carlos Afonso Gonçalves Gomes Coelho, Carlos Magno de Deus Rodrigues, Felipe Arlotta Freitas, Henrique César Prado Zordan and Luiz Felipe Barros Félix.
If the conduct is proven, those investigated may be indicted by the Federal Police and subsequently reported to the Court. The PF initially identifies signs of crimes such as criminal organization, attempts to subvert the Democratic Rule of Law, illegal interception of communications and invasion of other people's computer systems.
