President Bolsonaro Still Considering Nominees for Federal Prosecutor General

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The first two-year mandate of the Federal Prosecutor General, Raquel Dodge, ends on September 17th. The renewal of Dodge’s two-year term or the selection of a new head prosecutor is done by appointment by President Jair Bolsonaro. Before taking office, the appointee needs to be approved by a majority vote of the full Senate. There is no legal deadline for making the nomination.

In addition to the traditional three-name list drawn up by the National Association of Prosecutors (ANPR), two additional deputy prosecutors may be nominated. Bolsonaro is not required by law to make his appointment from the three-name list.

Deputy prosecutor Mário Bonsaglia was the most voted on the list produced by the association. Bonsaglia has been a member of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) since 1981. With a doctorate in law from the University of São Paulo (USP), he has served on the MPF’s governing bodies, such as the MP Council and the Superior Council.

Luiza Frischeisen came second. She has been a public prosecutor since 1992 and also has a doctorate in law from USP. Between 2013 and 2015, she joined the National Council of Justice (CNJ), representing the MPF.

In third place was Blal Dalloul. He is the only candidate who is not a deputy prosecutor, acting as a prosecutor in Rio de Janeiro.

Outside the list, deputy prosecutors Augusto Aras and Paulo Gonet Branco may also be appointed. Aras was born in Salvador and has been a member of the MPF since 1987. He holds a doctorate in constitutional law from PUC-SP. He is also a professor of election and private law at the University of Brasilia (UnB).

Paulo Gonet has been a member of the MPF since 1987. He serves at the Federal Supreme Court as a representative of the Prosecutor’s Office in the court’s chambers. He is a doctor of law and professor of constitutional law. Gonet was a partner of STF Justice Gilmar Mendes at the Instituto Brasiliense de Direito Público (IDP), a law school in Brasília.

Federal Prosecutor General Raquel Dodge was appointed to the position by then-president Michel Temer, in 2017. At the time, she had been ranked second by her peers.

This week, President Jair Bolsonaro said that the new prosecutor general should be aligned with the interests of his government.