Brazil justice minister says Car Wash probe “unstoppable”

In a statement made Wednesday (Jul 19) in Washington, Brazil's Minister of Justice and Public Security Torquato Jardim said Operation Car Wash is “unstoppable,” and added that the probe, launched by the Brazilian Federal Police, is “a gain for Brazilian society.”

During a lecture at the Woodrow Wilson Center on the independence and harmony of government branches, the minister talked about their specific tasks and funds on federal and state level in Brazil, and noted that, with the current fiscal restriction on every level of government, one public policy must often be prioritized over another. When asked about the interruption of passport issuance, the minister said the situation will be normalized shortly.

Jardim met with the director of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and signed cooperation deals on the tracking down of stolen guns entering Brazil. “The pacification of Colombia makes it easier for heavy weapons stolen in the US to go into Brazil. Under US law, they must try to find these weapons wherever they are in the world. It's part of the greater purpose of our trip to seek technology for public security,” he said.

The minister is yet to attend meetings at the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, of the US State Department, and meet with Organization of American States Secretary-General Luis Almagro on the integration of countries sharing national borders with Brazil. Jardim is also expected to see US Justice Secretary Jeff Sessions, with whom he should talk about integration between the agencies of the Ministry of Justice, to which the Federal Police is linked.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira