RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has convinced crusading anti-graft Judge Sergio Moro to become his justice minister, the two said on Thursday, delighting supporters and enraging critics by hiring the jurist who jailed Bolsonaro’s chief political rival.
Moro oversaw the "Operation Car Wash" probe that sent former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to prison, blocking him from running against Bolsonaro. A telegenic 46-year-old who has previously denied any political ambitions, Moro flew to Bolsonaro’s beachside Rio de Janeiro home on Thursday, where the two met before announcing the decision.
"His anti-corruption and anti-organized crime agenda, as well as his respect for the laws and the constitution, will be our guide," Bolsonaro tweeted. The president-elect scored a clear political victory with the appointment of Moro, who gained cult following in Brazil after he locked up a string of politicians and businessmen.
But his appointment also gives ammunition to Bolsonaro’s opponents, who have long argued that the Car Wash probe was a politicized purge aimed at sidelining Lula and his leftist Workers Party (PT).
"Moro will be Bolsonaro’s minister after his decisive role in his election, by blocking Lula from running," tweeted PT President Gleisi Hoffmann. "Fraud of the century!"Moro’s decision to work with Bolsonaro brings risks.