Brazilian government admits surveillance of Paraguay during Bolsonaro’s presidency

São Paulo (AP) – The Brazilian government said on Monday its intelligence agency has surveillance of Paraguayan authorities during his presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, the former of the current Luizinácio Lula Da Silva, a move that ceased in March 2023 and stopped Lula within three months of Lula.

Brazil’s foreign ministry statements were issued for hours after a report by news website UOL accused Lula of surveillance against Paraguay. The ministry did not elaborate on the targets of specific Paraguayan officials, but said surveillance stopped “once the current government realized this fact”.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said: “President Lula’s administration has explicitly denied any involvement in intelligence operations against Paraguay today.

Paraguay’s foreign minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano told reporters earlier Monday that he “has no evidence that Brazil has attacked our system”.

Bolsonaro did not comment on the case.

The ministry also said the current director-general of its intelligence agency is waiting for Senate confirmation in early 2023, when time espionage remains active.

Brazilian intelligence personnel infiltrated Paraguay computer systems to obtain information on tariff negotiations related to the world’s largest Itaipu Hydroelectric Dam, according to UOL News.

Brazil and Paraguay share the right to energy generated by the Itaipu dam, which has an installed capacity of 14,000 megawatts. Brazil has purchased a lot of energy from Paraguay’s sales, which has led to tense negotiations in recent years.

Bolsonaro currently faces five charges from the Brazilian Supreme Court, including an attempt to engage in a coup after the far-right leader lost his 2022 election. In other cases, he faces a ruling from the country’s Supreme Court.

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AP reporter Nayara Batschke contributed to the report in Santiago, Chile.

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