Moro Appoints Funai Director Who Challenged Demarcation of Indigenous Land

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s Minister of Justice and Public Safety, Sérgio Moro, confirmed on Tuesday, September 3rd, the appointment of lawyer Silmara Veiga de Souza to take over the territorial protection board of the National Indigenous Foundation (FUNAI), the department in charge of land demarcation proceedings and protection agency for Indian interests and their culture.

According to a report by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo on August 14th, Silmara, who had already been informally dispatching within FUNAI for more than two weeks, acted as a lawyer in the case of a dispute over the demarcation of indigenous land.

Moro’s appointment was published this Tuesday, September 3rd, in the Federal Gazette. Silmara’s name had been suggested by Federal Police chief Marcelo Augusto Xavier da Silva, who came to preside over FUNAI in July.

Late last year, Silmara defended clients who challenged the administrative procedure of identification and delimitation of the indigenous land Ka’aguy Hovy, located in the municipality of Iguape, on the southern coast of São Paulo.

FUNAI recognized the area and the traditional occupation of the Guarani mbyá indigenous people. The findings from the identification and delimitation studies of the indigenous land and the approval of its report by FUNAI occurred in May 2017.

At the time, Silmara asked FUNAI for clarification on the demarcation, and was advised that the objections presented were “under review and expected to be completed in the first half of 2019”.

She represented the firm Veiga e Montemor Assessoria e Consultoria Jurídica. On July 19th this year, Silmara registered a document with the body, transferring her duties in the case to another lawyer. Questioned by the newspaper, FUNAI and Silmara had not replied until the story’s publication.

Fundação Nacional do Índio or FUNAI is a Brazilian governmental protection agency for Indian interests and their culture.