The government of Brazil said on Monday that its intelligence agency during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, the predecessor of established Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a move that stopped in March 2023, three months after Lula’s administration, said on Monday that his intelligence agency was stopped during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, a move in March 20 From Lula.
The statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil comes hours after a report of the Uol Lula’s news website accused him of being spied on Paraguay. The ministry did not target the specific Paraguayan officials, but said that the supervision ceased “once the current administration became aware of the fact.”
“President Lula’s administration categorically denies any involvement in the intelligence action that today against Paraguay, a member country of (trade block) Mercosur with which Brazil retains historical relations and a close partnership,” Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said.
Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano told journalists in Asuncion earlier on Monday that he “has no evidence that Brazil attacked our system.”
Bolsonaro did not comment on the matter.
The ministry also said the current director-general of his intelligence agency awaited the Senate’s confirmation in early 2023, when the spying was still active.
According to the UOL News report, Brazilian intelligence agents have entered Paraguayan computer systems to obtain information regarding tariff negotiations associated with the Itaipu -hydro -electrical dam, one of the largest world.
Brazil and Paraguay share the rights of the energy generated at the Itaipu Dam, which has an installed capacity of 14,000 megawatts. Brazil buys a lot of the energy sold by Paraguay, which has led to tense negotiations over the past year.
Bolsonaro is currently on five charges by the Brazil High Court, including to draw up a coup after the right -wing leader lost the election in 2022. He faces statements in other cases before the country’s Supreme Court.
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AP journalist Nayara Batschke contributed to this report by Santiago, Chile.
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