Brazilian opposition leaders today demanded an inquiry into a report that Brazil's intelligence agency spied on the Supreme Court chief and congressmen in what is the latest scandal to hit President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government.
Veja, the country's leading news magazine, reported at the weekend that the Brazilian Intelligence Agency, or Abin, spied on Supreme Court president Gilmar Mendes and tapped his telephones. It published what it said was a transcript of a private telephone conversation Mr Mendes had with a congressman.
An Abin agent who provided the transcript said such illegal phone tapping of authorities was common and also included the head of the Senate and two cabinet members, Vejareported.
Mr Lula met with Mendes and the head of Abin for three hours on Monday morning in a closed-door meeting. Abin said it was investigating the accusations but had confidence in its staff.
The government said the alleged spying was "abominable", and the affair could still sour his relations with Congress and the judiciary.
Senior government officials joined the opposition in condemning the alleged snooping as an attack on democracy and a throwback to the days of Brazil's military dictatorship when intelligence services uncovered dissidents, some of whom were tortured or killed.
Critics say Abin, which reports to Lula's institutional security adviser, lacks transparency and external controls.
Most of the legislators allegedly spied on are in opposition parties, and Mr Mendes is presiding over a high-profile case involving a prominent banker, politicians and businessmen.
The scandal is unlikely to dent Mr Lula's strong approval ratings, however, which have been buoyed by a booming economy.
Even though it requires a judicial authorisation, tapping phones is common in Brazil, and media regularly leak private conversations of politicians and businessmen.
Reuters