Lula demanded directors from Abin and PF after denunciation of espionage, according to newspaper

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) required explanations at a tense meeting with directors of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (ABIN), Luiz Fernando Corrêa, and the Federal Police (PF), Andrei Rodrigues, after revelations that Abin would have carried out a spy operation against Paraguayan authorities.

The information was released by Folha de S. Paulo and comes after reports from UOL reveal that the action would have included the hacking of top members of the neighboring country.

The meeting, described as conflicting by government sources, was interpreted as a kind of caressing between the two heads of security forces, which have divergent positions on the case. The meeting also attended the Minister of the Civil House, Rui Costa, to whom Abin is formally subordinate.

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The operation would have occurred in the context of bilateral negotiations on the division of the profits of the Itaipu plant. Although the Lula government has issued an official note by giving espionage to the management of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), PF researchers maintain that the activities continued in the first months of the current term, with knowledge and alleged authorization from Corrêa, which had already been nominated for the command of ABIN.

According to reports, Rodrigues presented to President Lula Evidence that Alessandro Moretti, former number two of ABIN, would have authorized the continuity of the action-with the endorsement of Corrêa. The data are contained in the testimony of an ABIN server itself, given to the PF in the investigation that investigates the alleged political use of the agency during the previous government. The investigation, which is being confidential in the Federal Supreme Court, also investigates the leakage of the operation to the press.

Internal dispute and institutional wear

The meeting showed the internal dispute between PF and Abin within the government. Corrêa and Rodrigues are considered rivals, with recurring friction since the beginning of the current management. The main focus of discord is the investigation of the so -called “parallel abin”, an internal espionage scheme that would operate on the fringes of the agency’s institutional guidelines.

Sources linked to the PF accuse Corrêa of trying to make it difficult to advance the investigations. On the other hand, allies of the Chief of ABIN claim that the investigation conducted by Rodrigues would have political motivations.

In the official note published by Itamaraty, the Lula government tried to exempt the current management of the continuity of espionage, stating that the operation had been disallowed in March 2023, shortly after Moretti took over the post interimly. The note also pointed out that Corrêa only officially assumed ABIN after the Senate approval, even though it was nominated by Lula before the alleged continuity of the operation.

During the meeting, however, Rodrigues would have contested the terms of the note, arguing that the information was provided by Abin herself and do not reflect the reality of the facts ascertained so far.

Diplomatic impact and risks to the government

The episode occurs at a sensitive moment for Brazil’s diplomatic relations in Mercosur. Paraguay is a strategic partner in energy and commercial integration with Brazil, especially in the context of Binacional Itaipu. If the signs of espionage in foreign territory are confirmed, the country may face diplomatic retaliation and new international wear and tear.

Internally, the case aggravates the government’s tension and increases the pressure on Lula to rearrange the command of intelligence and safety areas. Depending on developments, the Planalto may be required to review key names in strategic government areas-or risk losing control over internal disputes that put the institutional credibility of the Brazilian State into check.