RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The appointment of Antonio Augusto Brandão de Aras as Federal Prosecutor General was ratified on September 25th, by 68 votes in favor, 10 votes against and 1 abstention in the Senate.
Aras will serve a two-year term as head of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPR), to which he may be reappointed once. He will replace Raquel Dodge, whose term expired on September 17th.
The vote was taken immediately after Augusto Aras’ approval by the Senate’s Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ), where approval was submitted by Senator Eduardo Braga.
During the CCJ’s interrogation, Augusto Aras advocated for Operation Lava Jato and its main task of fighting white-collar crimes, but admitted that the task force’s model is “subject to corrections”.
Three-name list
Jair Bolsonaro’s appointment for prosecutor general is the first time since 2001 that the President has chosen a name outside the traditional three-name list formed by the body’s internal elections. Aras was not among the candidates on the list.
Antônio Augusto Brandão de Aras was one of the 23 deputy federal prosecutor generals, representing the MPF before Brazil’s highest courts. Born in Salvador, capital of Bahia, he joined the MPF in 1987. He is a specialist in electoral and economic law, has worked with the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) and was a member of the committee that worked on the 2009 electoral reform (Law 12.034), in addition to having been a university professor.
Source: Agência Senado