Dallagnol: Corruption is not exclusive to specific governments or parties.

Carolina Gonçalves, reporter for Agência Brasil - The coordinator of the Lava Jato task force in Curitiba (PR), the public prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol, said today (22) in the Chamber of Deputies, that corruption in Brazil is "historical, endemic, systematic and has been dragging on for the last few decades". The prosecutor participated in a debate in the House on the bill (PL 4.850/16) that brings together the 10 measures against corruption suggested by the Public Ministry.

Dallagnol emphasized that the crime of corruption is not exclusive to a particular party or government and attributed impunity as one of the main factors encouraging this type of practice. "In Brazil, the punishment for corruption is a bad joke. Punishment starts at two years, and the person ends up performing community service and donating basic food baskets. We are exposed to our enemies," he said, citing a study by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation that indicates the probability of punishment in corruption cases is 3%.

"My life is one of suffering because of corruption and failure in the fight against it," he lamented, citing cases in which he worked, such as the embezzlement of billions of dollars in the Banestado case, where several penalties were not applied against authorities because they had expired or were still awaiting a court decision.

According to Dallagnol, his experience in situations like this, where results don't materialize with the arrest of those responsible for irregularities, is not "unique, but the rule." "I have hundreds of colleagues throughout the country who live and experience the impunity of influential people." In the prosecutor's opinion, there is a "dysfunctional" system in Brazil that operates against the poor, but not against influential people.

The first guest to speak at the General Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Dallagnol cited surveys that estimate the misappropriation of R$ 200 million due to corruption crimes in the country. According to him, these amounts could triple federal investments in health and education, "or quintuple what is invested in public security throughout the federation." "We could have a much better country," he stated. He recalled that the higher the corruption rates, the lower the rates of economic and social development. "It is a stealthy, invisible, and mass killer. It disguises itself in potholes in the roads, expired medicines, street crimes, and poverty," he emphasized.

Project

The bill, with the collaboration of the Public Prosecutor's Office, has received more than 2,2 million signatures since its launch in March of this year. Last week, the interim president of the Chamber, Waldir Maranhão (PP-MA), authorized the installation of a special commission to analyze the matter, but party leaders have not yet indicated the names of the 30 full members and 30 alternates who will make up the committee.

Known as "10 measures against corruption," the project brings together 20 proposals for legislative changes to improve legislation to combat this type of crime, including the criminalization of illicit enrichment, increased penalties and classification as a heinous crime for corruption involving large sums, and measures to ensure swift action in cases of administrative misconduct.

São Paulo - The Public Prosecutor's Office celebrates the registration of 1,5 million signatures for the "Ten Measures Against Corruption" campaign. Prosecutors Thamea Danelon Valiengo, Deltan Dallagnol, and T participated in the event.
Also participating in the event were prosecutors Thamea Danelon Valiengo, Deltan Dallagnol, Thiago Lacerda Nobre, Carlos Fernando dos Santos Lima, and Deputy Attorney General Nicolao Dino. (Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil)
Dallagnol emphasized that the measures focus on bringing about adequate punishment that "goes beyond the paper," creating instruments for the recovery of embezzled money, and raising awareness about the damage caused by corruption. "The punishments apply to the future," he said, noting that the goal is "to prevent recurrence and successive scandals from happening in the future," reinforcing that the measures are non-partisan "because corruption is non-partisan in Brazil."

Also participating in the event were prosecutors Thamea Danelon Valiengo, Deltan Dallagnol, Thiago Lacerda Nobre, Carlos Fernando dos Santos Lima, and Deputy Attorney General Nicolao Dino.