Fate of Brazil Justice Minister Unclear After Resignation Report

[Eugene]

1. Brazil's star justice minister Sergio Moro resigns in blow to Jair Bolsonaro

Source: The Guardian

Brazil's star justice minister Sérgio Moro resigns in blow to Jair Bolsonaro

Powerful former judge’s exit weakens president, with pot-banging protests breaking out within seconds of his announcement

Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro
Fri 24 Apr 2020 16.21 BST
First published on Fri 24 Apr 2020 15.46 BST

One of the most popular and powerful figures in Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right administration – the celebrity justice minister Sérgio Moro – has resigned, setting up a potentially momentous political conflict just as Brazil struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Moro – a hero for much of the Brazilian right and a hate figure for many on the left – announced his decision on Friday after clashing with the president over Bolsonaro’s sacking of the head of Brazil’s federal police.

“I have to protect my biography and above all the commitment I took on … that we would stand firm against corruption, organized crime and violent crime,” said Moro, a 47-year-old judge who became a household name for leading the “Car Wash” corruption investigation and jailing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of the 2018 presidential election.

With Lula sidelined, Bolsonaro won a landslide victory by pledging to combat corruption and appointed Moro just days later as a potent symbol of his supposed intentions.

Brian Winter, the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, said Moro’s exit could have huge implications for Brazil’s leader by eating away at his support base of about 30% of voters – which some believe could pave the way for impeachment.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/brazil-justice-minister-sergio-moro-resigns-jair-bolsonaro