Brazil: Senate committee nominates new prosecutor-general

A Senate committee has unanimously approved the nomination of Federal Prosecutor Raquel Dodge as Brazil's new prosecutor-general.

When inquired by the commission during a nearly seven-hour hearing, Dodge answered questions about Operation Car Wash, anti-corruption efforts, and plea bargain deals. With regards to plea bargaining, the prosecutor told a number of senators that the legislation on the matter is still young, which is why “errors may occur.” Without referring to specific cases, Dodge said that possible mistakes may “be on the horizon” for the Prosecution Office and the Judiciary branch.

“As this is a recently introduced mechanism, my opinion is along the lines of accepting that errors may occur, but we can learn, and I'm not mentioning this or that mistake. This must be on the horizon for all of us, indoctrinators and members of the Prosecution Office and the Judiciary branch, so that we can come to fulfill our duty but avert perplexities, like the ones noted by many of you,” she declared.

During the session, Dodge also talked about the Brazilian prison system and was critical of the funding earmarked for the area over recent years. “We must address this issue, not just with good will, but with the spirit to resolve it.”

Raquel Dodge was picked as nominee for the post of prosecutor-general by President Michel Temer himself.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira