India's Modi seeks energy security from Guyana and its vast oil deposits

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday during a visit to Guyana that his government views the South American country as key to its energy security.

Modi spoke a day after his foreign minister said India is interested in buying up to two million barrels of crude from the oil-producing nation where vast deposits of oil and gas were found offshore nearly a decade ago.

Addressing a special sitting of Parliament at the end of his two-day trip, Modi said he views Guyana as an important energy source and that he plans to encourage large Indian businesses to invest in the country.

Guyana produces about 650,000 barrels a day of sweet, light crude oil from three oil fields, with production expected to ramp up to more than one million barrels daily, with production at three more oilfields slated to start in the next three years.

On Wednesday, External Affairs Minister Jaideep Mazumdar said India was not necessarily disappointed about not being able to seal a long-term oil sale deal with Guyana, saying talks will continue. He said such a deal would ensure “greater predictability.”

The two sides did sign a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to strengthen cooperation for hydrocarbon trade and petroleum products.

Guyanese Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat told reporters that while Guyana is willing to supply India with a large amount of crude, the matter is not simple because ExxonMobil, the main operator in Guyana’s offshore oil production, would have to be consulted and agree to such an arrangement.

“We know Exxon has to do some amount of changes to their lifting schedule and logistics because their preference is for the very large vessels that can accommodate two million barrels mainly because of distance and cost,” Bharrat said.

He added that Guyana prefers that Indian companies bid for oil blocks and that negotiations could occur if a bid is submitted.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures to members of Guyana's Hindu community as he arrives from the airport to his hotel in Georgetown, Guyana, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, is welcomed by Guyana's President Mohamed Irfaan Ali as he arrives to his hotel in Georgetown, Guyana, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

People wait at the Stabroek Market to ferry across the Demerara River, where a cargo ship is docked at the port in Georgetown, Guyana, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi signs a portrait of himself for a member of Guyana's Hindu community as he arrives to his hotel in Georgetown, Guyana, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Visitors line up to eat after attending a meeting between India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Guyana's President Mohammed Irfaan Ali at the Government House in Georgetown, Guyana, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Guyana's President Mohammed Irfaan Ali, left, and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attend a meeting at Government House in Georgetown, Guyana, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Members of Guyana's Hindu community wait for India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrive to his hotel from the airport in Georgetown, Guyana, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Guyana's President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, left, shakes hands with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he arrives from the airport to his hotel in Georgetown, Guyana, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A port that will support offshore oil production is under construction near the mouth of the Demerara River in Georgetown, Guyana, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives to Government House for a meeting with Guyana's President Mohammed Irfaan Ali, in Georgetown, Guyana, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses members of Parliament, in Georgetown, Guyana, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves as he arrives to Parliament in Georgetown, Guyana, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses members of Parliament, in Georgetown, Guyana, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses members of Parliament, in Georgetown, Guyana, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses members of Parliament, in Georgetown, Guyana, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves as he arrives to Parliament in Georgetown, Guyana, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets students as he arrives to Parliament in Georgetown, Guyana, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives to Parliament in Georgetown, Guyana, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses members of Parliament in Georgetown, Guyana, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has been a target for investigations since his early days in office, and the swarm of cases since his failed reelection bid in 2022 has left him in ever-deeper legal jeopardy.

In the latest indictment Thursday, he was accused of attempting a coup to keep himself in the presidency. In another case, the electoral court ruled the far-right leader ineligible to run for office until 2030.

There are dozens of other probes that could produce criminal charges at low-level courts, where he could appeal any eventual conviction. But the country's Supreme Court will have the final say regarding more than five in-depth investigations, including into the alleged coup attempt, which could land the former president behind bars or under house arrest.

Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing in all of the cases, and his allies have alleged they are political persecution, while recognizing the severity of the legal risks on multiple fronts.

Here's a look at the biggest threats and where they stand:

Federal police on Thursday indicted Bolsonaro and 36 others for allegedly attempting a coup to keep him in office after his defeat in the 2022 elections. The indictment is sealed, but among other things authorities had been investigating whether he incited the Jan. 8, 2022 riot in which his followers ransacked the Supreme Court and presidential palace in the capital of Brasilia.

STATUS: Police sent their findings to Brazil’s Supreme Court, which will refer them to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet. He will either formally charge Bolsonaro and put him on trial, or toss the investigation.

Brazil’s highest electoral court in June ruled that Bolsonaro used government communication channels in a meeting with diplomats to promote his reelection bid and sow distrust about the vote. The case focused on a meeting the prior year, during which Bolsonaro used government staffers, the state television channel and the presidential palace in Brasilia to tell foreign ambassadors that the country’s electronic voting system was rigged. The ruling rendered him ineligible for office until 2030, although he has insisted that he will run in the 2026 race.

The court also found that Bolsonaro abused his power during Brazil’s Independence Day festivities, a month before the election. The ruling didn’t add years to Bolsonaro’s ineligibility, but made any appeal less likely to succeed. A third case is also pending at the court.

STATUS: Bolsonaro’s appeal of the initial ruling was denied.

Bolsonaro has been indicted for directing an official to tamper with a public health database to make it appear as though he and his 12-year-old daughter had received the COVID-19 vaccine in order to bypass U.S. entry requirements. During the pandemic, he railed against the vaccine, characterized the choice to receive a shot as a matter of personal freedom and has repeatedly said he never did so.

The Federal Police accused Bolsonaro of criminal association and inserting false data into public records, which carry maximum penalties of 4 and 12 years in prison, respectively. It was his first indictment since leaving office.

STATUS: Brazil's Supreme Court sent the indictment to the prosecutor-general, who is weighing whether to use it to press charges. Local media reported that he was seeking to consult American authorities about whether Bolsonaro used the forged document to enter the country, and that having done so could result in U.S. legal action.

Federal Police have probed whether Bolsonaro directed officials to smuggle luxury jewelry worth millions into Brazil from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, then acted to prevent them from being incorporated into the presidential collection and instead retain ownership for himself.

Investigators summoned Bolsonaro for questioning in April and August of 2023. He has returned the jewelry in question.

STATUS: The Federal Police indicted Bolsonaro for money laundering and criminal association, according to a source with knowledge of the accusations. A second source confirmed the indictment, although not for which specific crimes. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

Brazil’s Federal Police is investigating Bolsonaro for inciting crimes against public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, which include encouraging people not to wear masks and causing alarm about non-existent danger of vaccines accelerating development of AIDS. A Senate inquiry commission also spent months investigating his pandemic-era actions and decisions, and recommended nine criminal charges.

Brazil’s former prosecutor-general Augusto Aras, widely seen as a Bolsonaro ally, decided not to file any charges based on the lawmakers' findings. They have urged his Aras' successor to reopen the case.

STATUS: The investigation is ongoing.

Brazil's Supreme Court in 2020 ordered an investigation into a network allegedly spreading defamatory fake news and threats against Supreme Court justices. The probe has yielded the imprisonment of lawmakers from the former president's circle and raids of his supporters' homes. In 2021, Bolsonaro was included as a target.

As an offshoot of that probe, the Federal Police is also investigating whether a group operating inside Bolsonaro’s presidential palace produced social media content aimed at undermining the rule of law. The group, allegedly comprised of aides and Bolsonaro’s politician son, has been widely referred to as a digital militia and “the hate cabinet.”

STATUS: Both investigations are ongoing.

Biller reported from Rio de Janeiro

FILE - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro votes in the run-off presidential election as he runs for another term in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Oct. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado, Pool, File)

FILE - Police stand on the other side of a window at Planalto Palace that was shattered by supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro after they stormed the official workplace of the president in Brasilia, Brazil, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

FILE - This photo provided by Brazil's Federal Revenue Department shows jewelry, part of an investigation into gifts received by ex-President Jair Bolsonaro during his term, seized by customs authorities at Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the week of March 24, 2023. (Brazil's Federal Revenue Department via AP, File)

FILE - A demonstrator holds a banner showing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro adjusting his mask in Brasilia, Brazil, Aug. 7, 2020, as the Central Workers Unions (CUT) protest his handling of the new coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

FILE - In a silhouette, Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro speaks to the media upon arrival to the airport in Brasilia, Brazil, June 29, 2023, where Supreme Electoral Court judges evaluate the case which claims he abused his power by using government communication channels to promote his campaign and cast unfounded doubts on the country's electronic voting system. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)