The climate in the Public Ministry is worrying; prosecutors defend investigation of charges against Bolsonaro

Former Justice Minister Sergio Moro has indicated that President Jair Bolsonaro has committed crimes, and the accusations made by him must be rigorously investigated, even so that the Federal Police and other control institutions can work freely. This is the opinion of the majority of the members of the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) heard by BBC News Brazil.

The climate in the corporation is worrying due to the information presented by the now former minister: the assessment is that other control institutions may also be in danger, if the Federal Police no longer have the conditions to work.

• Brazil will have to explain serious accusations that led to Moro’s resignation, says OECD anti-corruption leader

This Friday afternoon, the Attorney General, Augusto Aras, asked the Supreme Court to initiate an investigation to investigate the charges presented by Moro against Bolsonaro. In the work, Aras points out the “eventual occurrence, in theory”, of crimes of ideological falsehood, coercion in the course of the process, administrative defense, embezzlement and several others.

BBC News Brazil explains what each one is here.

Sergio Moro presented his resignation in a statement to the press on Friday morning. In his farewell speech, the now former Minister of Justice and Public Security accused the President of the Republic of wanting to change the command of the Federal Police to obtain access to confidential investigative data.

He left office after the Official Gazette (DOU) of this Friday brought the exoneration of the then director general of the Federal Police, Maurício Valeixo: the policeman was appointed by Moro for the position and was considered his right hand in the portfolio. . The resignation occurred against Moro’s will.

In his press release, Moro also accused the Planalto Palace of having misused his electronic signature. Moro said he never signed Valeixo’s resignation, contrary to what was published in the Official Gazette on Friday morning.

For the prosecutor and criminal law professor Vladimir Aras, the allegations directed by Moro are “quite serious”: the FP’s functions go beyond corruption investigations, he recalls.

Law scholars consulted by BBC News Brazil say that in his farewell speech, Sergio Moro attributed the practice of the crimes to Jair Bolsonaro.

“Let’s forget a little about Lava Jato. The Federal Police is in charge of human trafficking; drug trafficking; immigration problems; arms trafficking; fight against the trafficking of wild animals. And we know what the implications of all this are, if the agencies that deal with the issue of defending the environment, defending society against the spread of illicit weapons, if all this goes through the Federal Police, “Aras tells BBC News Brazil.

“So, without saying the word ‘corruption’, it is serious enough. When we talk about political interference with the corporation, it is even more serious. Corruption is criminogenic (it generates other crimes), because if the State does not work to combat corruption will continue to operate and allow other forms of crime to escalate, “he said. Vladimir is also a cousin of the current Attorney General, Augusto Aras.

The president of the National Association of Lawyers of the Republic (ANPR), Fábio George Cruz da Nóbrega, says that most prosecutors consider Moro’s accusations “very serious”.

“This assessment, that there are signs of common crimes by the President of the Republic, and even liability crimes, is shared (by various prosecutors),” he says.

“Let us remember that, during the evolution of our democracy, and of the Constitution of 1988 until now, the independence of the institutions, without a power that interferes in others, is a fundamental guarantee. And that has been, or has been, respected” , he says.

“We understand that these facts revealed today are one more reason for the institutions to continue investigating these facts. There is a professional recognition that the moment is serious, that the accusations of the former minister are very serious,” he said. The president of ANPR, an entity that represents the members of the Federal Public Ministry.

“This information about attempts to interfere with ongoing investigations is very worrying. Especially since they are secret investigations, many of them. And only those who should be aware of them are the judges, officials, police and members of the Ministry Public that act. And not another authority that has nothing to do with the facts, “says Alan Mansur, current chief prosecutor of MPF / PA.

“So this represents a serious concern for everyone involved in these investigations,” he said. “It is important for people to realize how illegal it is (interference). Every time this information appears, society must demonstrate that it will not accept it,” he says.

For a prosecutor who served in the Lava Jato Task Force in Brasilia, Bolsonaro has not demonstrated sufficient elements to refute the charges made by Moro.

“There were no plausible reasons to change the command of the Federal Police, neither in the statement that the president has given now, nor in the statement that the president has given. At least it was not entirely convincing. This indicates that this report by the Minister Moro is credible at least and needs to be determined, “he says.

Another professional, who was a contemporary of Moro in the Lava Jato Task Force in Curitiba, said he was not surprised by the former minister’s decision to leave the government.

“He acted correctly. He never agreed with these things, it was not going to be now. He is absolutely right. I am not surprised by his decision. It is not a bad thing, but I am not surprised,” he said.

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