Bolsonaro Interferes in Anti-Corruption Bodies That Looked Into his Family’s Affairs

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Over the past two months, President Jair Bolsonaro has directly interfered in the three main anti-corruption bodies in Brazil that have somehow crossed paths with his family — the Federal Police (PF), the Federal Treasury, and the Council for the Control of Financial Activities (COAF).

Continuously claiming that he is in charge, Bolsonaro conceded that, in some instances, he acted to defend family members.

The most recent case left the Federal Police in a state of alarm. Bolsonaro surprised the entity by announcing the replacement of Ricardo Saadi, superintendent in Rio, for reasons initially related to “productivity issues”.

The Rio Federal Police’s major investigations concern the relationship of criminal militias with state politicians and the so-called “rachadinha” (split), a scheme in which employees pay back part of their salaries to legislators, which has implicated a former advisor to Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.

The president’s interlocutors have accused Saadi of failing to prevent “counter-orders” in investigations against his son. At the Palácio do Planalto, the police chief is further accused of allowing investigations to proceed in the absence of evidence.

In an unprecedented move for a president, Bolsonaro announced that Saadi’s position would be filled by police chief Alexandre Saraiva, currently a PF superintendent in the state of Amazonas and a friend of the family.

The attempt to interfere in the selection led the PF command to corner the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Sérgio Moro, to whom the institution is subordinate.

On Friday, August 16th, Moro was alerted that he would lose control of the federal police department if he gave in to Bolsonaro’s appeal.

The crisis only cooled after the president declared he would accept the appointment of chief Carlos Henrique Oliveira Sousa for the position, currently in the Federal Police Superintendency in Pernambuco.

Newspaper Estado found that Bolsonaro’s retreat complied with a request from Moro. Ultimately, the president got what he wanted – to take out Saadi — and Moro stayed on good terms with the PF.

The president is entitled to veto any name nominated by the PF to take up senior positions. The choice, however, always comes from the Director-General of the body, specifically to avoid political interference. The PF superintendent has the power to assign detectives to carry out important investigations.

The crisis also worsened in the Treasury after the president ordered the replacement of the agency’s superintendent in Rio, Mario Dehon, and the Treasury officials in Porto de Itaguaí (Rio de Janeiro), José Alex Nobrega de Oliveira, and in Barra da Tijuca, Fábio Cardoso do Amaral, in the wake of pressure from the Supreme Court, which was the subject of investigations.

On Wednesday 14th, Bolsonaro expressed his discontent with the agency. “They searched through the financial affairs of my relatives in the Vale do Ribeira,” he said. According to Estado, one of the president’s brothers, Renato Antonio Bolsonaro, was notified of a tax debt of R$1,682.

The debt, related to the social security of a domestic employee, was settled on the 28th of that same month. Due to the low amount, the president’s complaints were perceived by the tax authorities as an attempt to create a questionable motive to warrant his interference in the body.

As well as the PF, the Treasury Superintendency in Rio is also investigating crimes committed by militias in operations in Porto de Itaguaí.

Estado found that the special secretary of the entity, Marcos Cintra, informally suggested that the delegate of Itaguaí be replaced by someone appointed by the Bolsonaro family. Dehon, whose position is endangered, did not agree to make the appointment.

The exchange in the PF of Rio and other police locations has not yet taken place, but Bolsonaro said: “If I have to change the Federal Treasury in Rio, then it will be changed.” Regarding the PF, he was even more adamant: “If he (Moro) decided to make changes, he would need to speak to me. I’m the one in charge.”

The tax authorities have already advised Cintra that they will not accept political appointments and are threatening to resign their positions, thereby creating a cascading effect that could hinder the functioning of the body. A new structure is feared to condition the progress of an investigation on the endorsement of the leadership.

The changes in the Treasury should not be limited to certain  positions. Estado found that the government also does not rule out replacing Cintra himself and his deputy, João Paulo Fachada.

The Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, who oversees the Treasury, is seeking a technical solution. One of the alternatives is to split the body’s departments. Rogério Marinho, secretary of Social Security and Labor, is mentioned to head one department. Cintra would be exclusively left with the tax policy area.

As a result of a decision by Bolsonaro, Guedes is also working on an exit for the COAF – the agency that identified Flávio Bolsonaro’s atypical transactions. The board moves to the Central Bank and Roberto Leonel, the current chairman appointed by Moro, will be removed from office.

The information is from the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.