Lula chooses former director of the Federal Police to command Abin – 03/03/2023 – Politics

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) chose federal delegate Luiz Fernando Corrêa as the new general director of Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency).

The name of Corrêa, former general director of the Federal Police in Lula’s second government, was published in the Official Gazette of the Union this Friday (3) and will be analyzed by the Federal Senate before the nomination.

The confirmation of Corrêa’s choice comes a day after the government officializes the transfer of Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency) to the Civil House, removing it from the responsibility of the military.

The change began to be conceived during the transition of government and had as its origin the mistrust of the PT in relation to the GSI (Institutional Security Office) military, then headed by General Augusto Heleno, one of the closest allies of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). ).

Mistrust led Lula, even on the first day after taking office, to issue a measure removing presidential security from the GSI.

Abin is responsible for advising the President of the Republic through the production of intelligence content on internal and external strategic issues.

Although Abin officials are satisfied with the new government, since the transfer of the organ’s structure to civilian control was an old demand, Corrêa’s appointment is seen as a defeat.

Abin officials have always defended the appointment of officials from the agency itself to the general direction and criticize the appointment of federal police officers to the position, as has occurred in most recent governments.

They cite, according to Sheet found out, that the transition team responsible for the topic even indicated in the final report the going to the Civil House and the choice of a servant of the agency for the command as suggestions.

Corrêa, after approval in the Senate, will take over Abin at a time of tension, after the agency was involved in times of crisis in the Bolsonaro government.

The main director of the agency in the former president’s management was the delegate and current federal deputy Alexandre Ramagem, Bolsonaro’s former personal security guard in the 2018 election campaign and a friend of the Bolsonaro family.

A PF investigation showed how Abin was one of the public bodies used by Bolsonaro to raise suspicions against the security of electronic voting machines.

Another PF inquiry pointed to the agency acting with the aim of disrupting investigations into Jair Renan, Bolsonaro’s son.

The federal delegate also assumed command of the PF, at the end of 2007, when the corporation was going through crises arising from the first major operations carried out in the first Lula government, including Satiagraha, which invested against banker Daniel Dantas.

He replaced Paulo Lacerda and made a series of changes that resulted in the departure of older delegates from leadership positions.

At the time, Corrêa’s choice was seen as a way to paralyze investigations that had been creating problems for the federal government.

In an interview with Folha after being replaced in 2011, the delegate said that the context at the time justified the concern, but that his management acted to improve the quality of the evidence in these investigations.

“The challenge is to have robust evidence and strictly observe the Constitution with regard to individual rights. We continue with operations. We have reduced visibility, but now we have a goal, which is to look for the content and outcome of investigations,” he said. .