Tag: Judge Sergio Moro justice minister Brazil

Former Judge Sergio Moro Back in Brazilian Politics Ahead of 2022 Vote

Although Moro’s corruption busting brought him fame, his star has fallen in recent years as Lula’s conviction was reversed and he joined Bolsonaro’s government.

Brasilia: Sergio Moro, who became a household name in Brazil as the judge that led the country’s largest ever corruption probe, re-entered the political fray on Wednesday, presenting himself as a unifying centrist ahead of presidential elections next year.

Moro, 49, who jailed former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for corruption and then became justice minister under President Jair Bolsonaro before accusing him of misconduct and resigning, joined the centre-right Podemos party offering a solution to Brazil’s polarized politics.

Although Moro’s corruption busting brought him fame, his star has fallen in recent years as Lula’s conviction was reversed and he joined Bolsonaro’s government.

“I never had political ambitions. I just want to help,” he said in a speech at his affiliation to the party, adding that he was available to be a presidential candidate if necessary as an alternative to the expected face-off between Bolsonaro and Lula in October.

“There are other good names that have come forward so that the country can escape the extremes of lies, corruption and return to the past,” he said.

Moro left the judiciary to join far-right Bolsonaro’s cabinet as justice minister in 2019 determined to wipe out corruption in Brazil.

But he resigned last year after criticising Bolsonaro for interfering in the police force allegedly to protect his sons in corruption investigations.

Also Read: Brazil After Lawfare: The Return of ‘President’ Lula and the Fall of a ‘Hero’ Judge

Moro said he would be an anti-corruption candidate who would focus on eradicating poverty, reforming the state and privatizing its many enterprises that have been a source of graft and bribery.

He rose to fame in 2015 as the federal judge conducting the high-profile Lava Jato, or Car Wash, investigation that uncovered a multi-billion-dollar graft and bribery scheme, mainly involving state oil company Petrobras, that led to the arrest of dozens of business executives and politicians.

Lula was jailed in 2018 on a corruption conviction handed down by Moro for receiving bribes from an engineering company that won government contracts when he was president.

He was released a year and a half later after the Supreme Court annulled his convictions when it overturned a rule that defendants should be jailed after losing their first appeal.

Judge Who Jailed Bolsonaro’s Political Rival to Become Brazil’s Justice Minister

Judge Sergio Moro’s appointment gives ammunition to Bolsonaro’s opponents, who have long argued that the Car Wash probe was a politicised purge aimed at sidelining Lula and his leftist Workers Party (PT).

Rio de janeiro: Brazilian far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has convinced Judge Sergio Moro to become his justice minister, the two said on Thursday, delighting supporters and enraging critics by hiring the jurist who jailed Bolsonaro’s chief political rival.

Moro oversaw the “Operation Car Wash” probe that sent former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to prison, blocking him from running against Bolsonaro.

A telegenic 46-year-old who has previously denied any political ambitions, Moro flew to Bolsonaro’s beachside Rio de Janeiro home on Thursday, where the two met before announcing the decision.

“His anti-corruption and anti-organised crime agenda, as well as his respect for the laws and the constitution, will be our guide,” Bolsonaro tweeted.

The president-elect scored a clear political victory with the appointment of Moro, who gained cult following in Brazil after he locked up a string of politicians and businessmen.

But his appointment also gives ammunition to Bolsonaro’s opponents, who have long argued that the Car Wash probe was a politicised purge aimed at sidelining Lula and his leftist Workers Party (PT).

Also read: The Similarities Between Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro

“Moro will be Bolsonaro’s minister after his decisive role in his election, by blocking Lula from running,” tweeted PT president Gleisi Hoffmann. “Fraud of the century!”

Moro’s decision to work with Bolsonaro brings risks. The president-elect has a history of making racist, misogynist and homophobic comments, as well as remarks dismissive of democratic institutions, although he has pledged repeatedly in recent days to respect the constitution.

“The opportunity to implement a strong anti-corruption and anti-organised crime agenda, with respect for the constitution, the law and rights, led me to take this decision,” Moro said in a statement. He added that he would hand over the reins of the Car Wash investigation to other judges.

Warning to politics

As justice minister, Moro will have oversight of the federal police and federal public security, a crucial appointment for Bolsonaro, who has pledged to aggressively combat corruption and violent crime.

In a TV interview, Bolsonaro said Moro will have broad licence to pick his own staff. Although public security is not one of Moro’s specialties, his reliance on good advisers will allow him to make the right decisions, Bolsonaro added.

In 2016, Moro said he would never enter politics, keeping the focus on his graft-fighting crusade in the courts. But the rise of Bolsonaro, a seven-term congressman who has cast himself as a political maverick untainted by graft allegations, appears to have changed the judge’s mind.

Some on Bolsonaro’s team would even like Moro to run for the presidency in 2022, according to a report by a Folha de S. Paulo columnist on the newspaper’s website on Thursday.

Moro, who was floated as a possible presidential candidate in the run-up to this year’s election, has seen his profile rise quickly as his name became synonymous with probes targeting a corrupt political establishment.

Early last year, Moro enjoyed the support of nearly two- thirds of Brazilians in opinion polls. That figure dropped sharply after he sentenced Lula, who is still remembered fondly for reducing inequality during his 2003-2011 presidency.

Judge Sergio Moro. Credit: Reuters

Policy details

Bolsonaro is expected to announce a full cabinet this month, ahead of his January 1 inauguration. At his first formal news conference on Thursday, he gave fresh details of his agenda.

He left the door open to reverse a proposal to merge the environmental and agricultural ministries after criticism from the current ministers and environmentalists.

Bolsonaro also said that a proposed deal between plane makers Boeing Co and Brazil’s Embraer that requires government approval is “going through,” without elaborating.

Asked about the debt-ridden state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro, he said the company, known as Petrobras, should seek partnerships because it was not in a position to afford new investments on its own.

Also read: Hate or Hope: In a Bitter Election, Brazil Fights for Its Soul and Democracy

Bolsonaro also reaffirmed a proposal to move Brazil’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, following a similar move by US President Donald Trump and prompting an enthusiastic response from Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I praise my friend the incoming Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, for his intention to move Brazil’s embassy to Jerusalem,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser, said Bolsonaro and the US president were “like-minded” individuals.

(Reuters)