Lula government decides to transfer Abin to Chief of Staff – 02/09/2023 – Power

The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) decided to transfer Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency) to the Civil House.

The measure will be confirmed by a provisional measure published in the Official Gazette of Friday (10). The information about the change was first published in the newspaper O Globo and confirmed by Sheet.

Today Abin is under the umbrella of the GSI (Institutional Security Office), former Military House. It will pass to the ministry commanded by Rui Costa.

The command of the agency should be with delegate Luiz Fernando Corrêa, former director general of the PF.

The idea arose during the transition, when members of Lula’s team were uncomfortable with the ideological composition that the portfolio came to have, under the management of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

General Augusto Heleno, an early ally of the Chief Executive, was at the head of the ministry until last year.

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

Despite having started in the transition, the government thought that the discussion about the change in Abin was not yet ripe to move forward.

According to palace assistants, the debate gained strength again after January 8, when coup supporters of the former president took over and destroyed the headquarters of the three branches of government.

The performance of the GSI at the time was the target of criticism in the political world and by opponents. Although not responsible for approximate presidential security, the ministry is in charge of the dependencies of the Presidency.

The Planalto Palace was invaded, works of art were broken and torn, and rooms ransacked.

Lula, as far as he is concerned, never publicly criticized General Gonçalves Dias, known as GDias, minister of the portfolio.

He had, however, to say publicly that he would not dismiss another minister, referring to José Múcio Monteiro (Defense), the target of frying after the coup attacks.

The Chief Executive, however, intensified his criticism of the military. Last Tuesday (7), he said that the Army of Caxias was transformed into Bolsonaro’s Army, in reference to the politicization of the Armed Forces by his predecessor.

Duque de Caxias, the Peacemaker, is the patron of the force, and the phrase was said by the PT to General Tomás Paiva, the new commander of the Army, according to the PT. “And he said to the general: unfortunately, the Army of Caxias was transformed into Bolsonaro’s Army. Which is not a good thing for this country.”

Lula also stated that the former president “blew everything up”, and put into practice the “insanity” of trying to use the Armed Forces.

The statement was given during breakfast with media outlets and alternative blogs aligned to the left, which took place at the Planalto Palace.

With the change in Abin, the GSI lost two of its main attributions. But, despite that, there are four secretariats, in addition to the executive, in the portfolio: security and presidential coordination; systems coordination; defense and national security; and information security and cybernetics.

The latter was created during the Lula 3 government.

GDias took over the GSI with the task of cleaning up key posts that were very politicized. Many military personnel were removed from the portfolio, but many others were appointed. The priority is to oxygenate and put the ministry back to normal, according to assistants.

At the end of January, 121 soldiers were appointed to the GSI, reversing the series of layoffs in the body that followed the coup acts of January 8

That is, in practice, the Lula government indicates that it will carry out a replacement of the military that acted in the GSI during the former president’s government and not exactly a demilitarization of the body, as it was considered.

In addition to these exchanges, there was the appointment of an Air Force lieutenant to the Extraordinary Secretariat for Immediate Security of the President of the Republic, in his personal office. And two other military personnel were dismissed from the same secretariat.

The Lula government had started a series of dismissals of military personnel who worked inside the Planalto Palace, including the presidency, the vice-presidency and the GSI itself.