A huge blow has been dealt to the fight against corruption in Brazil. The independence obtained by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Police was crucial for recent advances in the country's anti-corruption effort.
After naming a Prosecutor General aligned with his interests, president @jairbolsonaro has now fired #MauricioValeixo, director of the Federal Police. Since taking office, Bolsonaro has consistently attacked the autonomy of Brazil’s two most important corruption-fighting bodies.
We published a report alerting to growing political interference in Brazilian anti-corruption agencies in 2019 (bit.ly/2yFCeo8). We identified instances of interference in the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Federal Revenue Service, the FIU and the Federal Police.
The firing of Valeixo is the latest, and potentially most serious, political interference with law enforcement efforts. It's a grave setback to Brazil's institutional anti-corruption framework.
The political interference has resulted in the resignation of Min. of Justice @SF_Moro, who alerted: “The most serious problem is not who is going to replace the current director, but the reason behind this change”.
Around the world, our @anticorruption movement insists that the path to defeat corruption is through strong institutions. Today, President Bolsonaro has damaged one of Brazil’s most important institutions in the fight against corruption.
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