Federal Police is an Independent Institution, Says Moro

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Minister of Justice and Public Safety, Sérgio Moro, defended on Friday, September 20th, the powers of the Federal Police and the Judiciary, after criticisms sparked off against the conduction of searches and seizures in the offices of the Government leader in the Senate, Fernando Bezerra Coelho (MDB-PE), and his son, Deputy Fernando Coelho (DEM-PE).

“The Federal Police is an independent body and its actions are controlled by the courts, and the Minister of Justice has no involvement in specific investigations,” Moro told the report.

Bezerra Coelho and his son are under investigation for suspected corruption and money laundering. Informers report passing on R$5.5 million (US$1.375 million) in bribes to the father.

Operation Disintegration was authorized by Justice Luís Roberto Barroso, who reported the case to the Federal Supreme Court.

The president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre, called the operation “unreasonable and unnecessary, particularly due to the absence of contemporaneity”. He said he will challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.

Moro’s statement comes after Fernando Bezerra Coelho’s defense stated that the operation was a retaliation to the senator for his actions against abuse by investigative bodies.

“First, there was a statement from him about Moro being forgetful. But, after all, it’s retaliation in the political context of everything that’s going on,” Bezerra’s lawyer, André Callegari, said.

The statement the lawyer referred to was said by Bezerra Coelho to the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo earlier this month.

The Federal Police’s independence defense is also a message from Moro to the corporation. Behind the scenes at the Federal Police, Moro has been criticized over the past few weeks for not contesting President Jair Bolsonaro’s statements that he could manipulate the institution.

In an attempt to keep director-general Maurício Valeixo, his nominee, Moro chose not to react publicly and to try to demonstrate that there was a “web of intrigues” seeking to oppose the president to the PF’s command. So far, it has worked. As Estado has shown this week, Valeixo will be upheld.

In addition to Moro’s statement on the independence of the Federal Police, the institution was also defended by Minister Barroso.

“The investigation of criminal facts by the Federal Police and the supervision of police inquiries by the Supreme Court are not a breach of the principle of separation of powers, but rather sheer compliance with the Constitution,” said the justice who authorized the operation.

Barroso further said that search and seizure is a standard measure in cases of an investigation into corruption and money laundering and follows the Supreme Court precedents.

Source: Estadão