Rui Costa: "Are judges worried about applause in shopping malls?"

Bahia 247 - The governor of Bahia, Rui Costa, criticized the stance of some judges and prosecutors, implying that Judge Sérgio Moro faces a fine line between vanity and acting within the bounds of the law. According to the Workers' Party member, "political reform is a process that must also extend to legal institutions."

"Which societies are the most mature? Which have the strongest constitutions? How do their institutions function? We should all reflect on these things. In these democracies, are judges and prosecutors concerned with applause as they walk through the mall, or are they concerned with their consciences, with respecting the constitution? Do these judges care about being recognized in the streets? Or do they do their job with the efficiency of the law? "The country is upside down. We need to put the interests of the population first," he added at the launch of Mãe Terra Magazine.

Commenting on his rapprochement with President Michel Temer, the head of the executive branch stated that it does not mean he is supporting the PMDB politician's administration. "I feel like I'm in a football match, like I'm a player for Bahia, and the referee has awarded an illegal penalty against my team. Either I meet with them to try to resolve it, or I spend the entire match complaining to the referee," he said.

"I am against it. I think what was done in Brazil was a great aggression, absurd violence, the second major act of violence against Brazilian democracy, the first in 1964 and the second in 2016. But I can't just keep complaining. We've had about four meetings in recent months [with the president], and the latest results have been important," he added.