Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his son Carlos Bolsonaro have been formally accused by Brazil’s federal police of operating an illegal spy network through the national intelligence agency, ABIN (Agência Brasileira de Inteligência). This accusation adds a new and explosive chapter to the former president’s mounting legal troubles, including an ongoing trial over an alleged coup plot to overturn Brazil’s 2022 presidential election results.

According to a sealed federal police report delivered to Brazil’s Supreme Court, Bolsonaro and a small inner circle of intelligence and political operatives oversaw a covert surveillance operation targeting judges, political opponents, journalists, and public officials. Among the tools allegedly used was FirstMile, Israeli-made spyware capable of tracking cell phones and gathering sensitive data remotely. The investigation has found that ABIN was used not for state security, but to benefit the Bolsonaro administration politically, particularly through Carlos Bolsonaro’s aggressive social media campaigns.

The report outlines a “criminal organization with high offensive capabilities” that leveraged state resources to gather illicit intelligence. Court documents suggest that the former president was not only aware of the operation but directly benefited from the intelligence gathered to attack opponents and discredit institutions. His son, a Rio de Janeiro city councilman and influential digital strategist during his father’s administration, allegedly distributed or used the information to fuel disinformation campaigns.

Several high-ranking officials are also implicated, including Alexandre Ramagem, former head of ABIN and Bolsonaro’s close ally. Ramagem, now a federal lawmaker, is suspected of helping orchestrate the operation and obstructing attempts to investigate it. Luiz Fernando Corrêa, a former ABIN deputy director, is also under scrutiny for allegedly trying to protect those involved and suppress internal alarms.

Targets of the surveillance program reportedly included Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a frequent critic of Bolsonaro; environmental regulators who clashed with Bolsonaro’s policies in the Amazon; and journalists who published investigative pieces critical of the government. The breadth of the operation—spanning multiple states and political sectors—paints a disturbing picture of state surveillance used as a tool of political warfare.

The scandal emerges at a precarious time for Bolsonaro, who is currently on trial in a separate case involving an alleged plot to overturn the 2022 election results, which he lost to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. That case includes charges of sedition, abuse of power, and attempting a coup, with potentially decades-long prison sentences if convicted.

This new accusation complicates Bolsonaro’s legal defense and deepens the political crisis surrounding him. Although the final decision on whether to prosecute the espionage case rests with Brazil’s attorney general, the evidence appears substantial. The federal police report is backed by internal ABIN communications, surveillance data logs, and witness testimonies.

Politically, the revelations are expected to further polarize Brazil’s already divided electorate. Bolsonaro’s supporters claim the investigation is politically motivated, while his opponents see the latest case as proof of authoritarian tendencies during his presidency. Legal analysts argue that the overlapping of the espionage scandal with the ongoing coup trial could accelerate calls for broader judicial action against the former president.

As Brazil’s democratic institutions continue to respond to these crises, the ABIN case signals a growing reckoning with the abuses of power during Bolsonaro’s term. With potential indictments looming and further investigations underway, Jair Bolsonaro’s post-presidency is looking less like a political comeback—and more like a legal countdown.