Brazil Police Cleared President Jair Bolsonaro in Probe of Interfering in Police Work

By Mary Webber First Posted: Mar 31, 2022 02:50 AM EDT

Brazil police probing into whether Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro interfered in police work has cleared him of committing any crime.

The federal police document sent to the country's Supreme Court on Wednesday also exempted former Justice Minister Sergio Moro from criminal liability, Reuters reported.

Moro accused Bolsonaro of meddling in the federal police by replacing its director-general in April 2020 to protect his sons from investigations. However, the document noted that it was the president's prerogative to appoint or dismiss the federal police head.

At the time, Flavio Bolsonaro, one of Bolsonaro's sons, was facing a probe in Rio de Janeiro by state prosecutors for suspicious financial transactions or running a kickback scheme. Flavio has denied any wrongdoing, but he has yet to be cleared of the charges.

At the request of Brazil's top public prosecutor Augusto Aras, the probe on Bolsonaro and Moro was opened by the Supreme Court two years ago. Aras wanted to determine if Bolsonaro - by trying to influence the police work - and Moro - by making the accusation - had committed any crime.

Case of Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro's Son

According to The New York Times, Flavio Bolsonaro has been charged with graft and money laundering as part of an investigation into the theft of public funds in 2020.

Rio de Janeiro state prosecutors announced the charges in a brief statement. However, they did not release a charging document or provide a details summary of the case.

The charges against the Brazilian president's eldest son were rooted in a series of suspicious financial transactions, which involved staff members at Flavio's former legislative office in the Rio de Janeiro State Assembly.

Flavio was elected to the senate in 2018, the same year Bolsonaro won the presidency. Investigators familiar with the matter said the president's son was operating a scheme known as "rachadinha," wherein elected officials pocket part of the salary of legislative aides who accept employment on the condition of slashing part of their pay.

It was a common practice in the lower layers of politics in Brazil. But Flavio maintained that he has "done nothing illegal." He then accused the prosecutors of a series of procedural missteps and said the charges came from a "fishing expedition into financial records."

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro Replacing Heads of Federal Police

In April 2021, Brazil's new justice minister had replaced the heads of the federal police and federal highway police with candidates backed by Jair Bolsonaro.

It was done amid concerns that the right-wing leader was seeking more direct control over law enforcement in Brazil, Reuters reported.

Justice Minister Anderson Torres announced on Twitter at the time that Paulo Maiurino would replace federal police chief Rolando de Souza.

In addition, Torres had named Silvinei Vasques to replace the head of Brazil's federal highway police, Eduardo Aggio. Torres is known to be close to the Bolsonaro family. Critics expressed concern that his appointment at the time would allow Bolsonaro to have control over federal police probes into his family and supporters.

Critics noted that Torres could help the Brazilian president increase his support among state police forces. Some view it as an unpredictable element in the next presidential vote.

A government official familiar with the matter said Bolsonaro gave Torres the will to name people for the position, but the president would review and approve his choices.

The right-wing president has been accused of trying to meddle in the independence of federal police, with Moro saying Bolsonaro has been attempting to change the federal police chief since 2019 for personal and political reasons.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by Mary Webber

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