Brazil prosecutors threaten to leave Operation Car Wash
The prosecutors forming the task force of Operation Car Wash threatened to leave the crackdown if the bill criminalizing judges and members of the Public Prosecution Office for abuse of power are brought into effect. The proposal, passed in the early hours today by the lower house, is part of a bill on anti-corruption moves.
“The idea is an en masse resignation, if this bill is signed into law by the president,” said Prosecutor Carlos Lima during a press conference held Wednesday (Nov. 30), in Curitiba. He and his colleagues describe the piece of legislation as some sort of “intimidation law.”
“The prosecutors in the Car Wash task force have come forward to stand up against the attack by the Chamber of Deputies against the probes and the autonomy of prosecutors, attorneys, and judges. The lower house signaled the beginning of the end of Operation Car Wash,” their note reads.
The bill approved by lower house representatives make members of the Prosecution Service liable to be charged with opening a case without the “minimum evidence that an offense has been committed” or expressing their opinion in the media about ongoing proceedings. The same rule applies for judges. Penalties may include six months to two years of imprisonment and a fine. Any citizen would be able to file a complaint against such an authority.
Popular initiative
The bill was a result of a popular initiative and was submitted to Congress carrying over 2 million signatures, and comprised ten measures brought forward by the Prosecution Service. In the prosecutors' view, the changes made to the drafting turns the legislation into a tool for protecting corruption.
“The approval of this law makes clear that further probing into the powerful, Congress members, politicians, businesspeople puts prosecutors at risk on a personal level. We're public officials, we have a career and we'll no longer be protected by the law. If we file charges, charges may be filed against us,” Lima remarked. According to prosecutors, the piece of legislation approved comes as a bid to intimidate the Public Prosecution Service and the Judiciary branch “under the vicious cloak of 'crimes of abuse of power.'”
The note further states that the National Congress took advantage of the mournful atmosphere brought about by the airplane that crashed carrying the Chapecoense football team to subvert the original bill submitted by the Prosecution Service. “The ten measures have been torn to pieces. Impunity for the corrupt and powerful has been preserved, made clear by the fact that over 90% of cases of corruption in Brazil go unpunished,” the text adds.
“After reaching the floor of the house, the bill was deformed. The text of the anti-corruption measure was torn to pieces, and a pro-corruption text was approved in its place,” said Deltan Dallagnol, in charge of the task force of Operation Car Wash in Curitiba.
The matter is pending further deliberation in the Senate.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Brazil prosecutors threaten to leave Operation Car Wash
