Delegates rebut Gurgel regarding the Public Prosecutor's Office in the mensalão scandal.
In a statement, the National Association of Federal Police Delegates expressed regret over the statement by the Attorney General of the Republic, who said that the Mensalão trial would end in nothing without an investigation by the Public Prosecutor's Office; according to the delegates, the statement was "disrespectful to federal police officers, Supreme Court justices, journalists, and public opinion, as it ignores the contribution of each to the outcome of Criminal Action 470."
Deborah Zampier
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Brasilia – The National Association of Federal Police Delegates criticized today (12) statements by the Attorney General of the Republic, Roberto Gurgel, praising the participation of the Public Ministry in the progress of Criminal Action 470, the mensalão trial. Yesterday, he said that the trial would end in nothing without the investigation by the agency.
In a statement, the delegates expressed regret over the prosecutor's remarks, alleging that they are "disrespectful to federal police officers, Supreme Court justices, journalists, and public opinion, as they ignore the contribution of each to the outcome of Criminal Action 470."
The association says it is concerned about the attempt to place the Public Prosecutor's Office "above good and evil," so that it does not have to be accountable to society. The organization points out that the independence of the Public Prosecutor's Office is limited by the choice of its leader by the head of the Executive Branch.
The delegates consider the discussion prompted by the proposed amendment to the Constitution, which aims to limit the investigative powers of the Public Prosecutor's Office, guaranteeing exclusivity to the police, to be timely. The group says it favors a collaborative approach. "The Public Prosecutor's Office cannot, alone and in parallel, determine when, who, and how to investigate crimes in Brazil."
Edited by: Beto Coura