PF summons Ramagem to give testimony about espionage scheme at Abin

Federal deputy Alexandre Ramagem (PL-RJ) was summoned by the Federal Police to give testimony about the investigation into the alleged illegal spying scheme of authorities at the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) when he was director general, part of the government of the former -President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

Ramagem said this Wednesday (31) that he received the subpoena to speak at the end of the month, but without detailing which day and city he will testify on. The confirmation was given shortly after a meeting he had with the president of Congress, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), in which he discussed “parliamentary issues”.

“I was finally summoned at the end of February. I didn’t have a subpoena in the search warrant, I asked. Until [falei]: let’s go to the interrogation. ‘No, there is no subpoena, it will be later’. Different from what the press reported. I was only summoned now,” he told journalists as he left Congress.

Ramagem was the target of the first phase of Operation Close Surveillance, by the Federal Police, last week, with the execution of warrants in his office in the Chamber of Deputies and in the functional apartment he occupies in Brasília. He classified the action as a “salad of narratives for reputation assassination”.

In view of the actions of the Federal Police, the opposition has been pressuring Pacheco for a more incisive response against search and seizure operations in parliamentary offices. A group of senators, including Rogério Marinho (PL-RN), Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), Hamilton Mourão (Republicanos-RS) and Tereza Cristina (PP-MS), requested a firmer position from the senator as president of Congress, and defended the end of the privileged forum.

“A democracy cannot be understood where the inviolability of the mandate and its respective actions and words are at risk,” said Marinho.

Flávio Bolsonaro, eldest son of former president Bolsonaro, criticized the actions of the Federal Police and stated that he never received reports from Abin. He argued that the PF “appears ridiculous” when investigating situations such as the alleged incident in which the former president allegedly harassed a whale during a jet ski ride.

“There is no parallel Abin to favor Bolsonaro. Period on that. If someone at Abin did something wrong, illegally investigated authorities, they must be investigated, evidence must be produced against them, and they must respond based on the law. To favor Flávio Bolsonaro, zero”, concluded Flávio Bolsonaro after the meeting with Pacheco.

The senators also criticize the conduct of the investigations by Minister Alexandre de Moraes. “This minister has made statements outside the file that worry us a lot, because he violates the Judiciary law, which prevents judges from issuing opinions and pre-judging actions for which they are responsible,” declared Marinho.