2023-09-26 12:28:52
José Cruz/Agência Brasil
Augusto Aras, Attorney General of the Republic
The mandate of the Attorney General of the Republic, Augusto Aras, expires this Tuesday (26) after four years at the helm of the body. It is now up to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to choose a replacement.
Aras assumed leadership of the PGR in 2019, as recommended by former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). During his administration, he negotiated around R$3.2 billion in 37 plea bargain agreements. According to the PGR, around R$1.1 billion has been recovered since September 2019.
Among other highlights, Augusto Aras was the one who presented the largest number of Direct Actions of Unconstitutionality in the STF since 2001. He also opened 222 investigations, 154 of which in the STJ, in addition to presenting 45,881 manifestations in the TSE (Superior Electoral Court).
During the period in which he was in charge of the PGR, he was criticized for not continuing investigations against the country’s former ruler. The biggest example used by Bolsonaro opponents is the denunciation of Jair Bolsonaro’s denialist behavior in the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the criticism, Aras says he was the victim of “some misunderstandings and false narratives, dissonant with the work done”. He emphasized that he never acted as a political agent.
“Our mission is not to follow right or left, but to guarantee, within the legal order, that justice, freedom, equality and dignity of the human person are achieved”, he spoke.
Substitute
Although he has not yet been chosen, Lula is investigating two names for the presidency of the PGR: deputy attorneys Paulo Gonet Branco (deputy electoral attorney general) and Antonio Bigonha (deputy attorney general of the Republic). The tendency is for the PT member not to return Aras to the position.
Paulo Gonet
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Gonet, aged 62, joined the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) in 1987 and became deputy attorney general in July 2021, working in the Electoral Public Ministry. He has a degree in Law, a master’s degree in Human Rights and a doctorate in Law, State and Constitution. Furthermore, he is a university professor and is close to important figures at the Federal Supreme Court, such as Gilmar Mendes and Alexandre de Moraes. Gonet is known for his discretion and conservative tendencies, having signed an opinion in favor of the ineligibility of former president Bolsonaro in an action related to abuse of power and irregular use of media.
Antonio Carlos Bigonha
Born in Ubá (MG), Bigonha has graduated in Law since 1987 and has a career in the MPF that began in 1992. He was also president of the National Association of Public Prosecutors from 2007 to 2011 and has a progressive profile. Bigonha has notable experience in the environmental sector and has been a critic of the actions of prosecutors in Operation Lava Jato.
The Minister of Institutional Relations, Alexandre Padilha, stated that Lula is in no rush to choose Augusto Aras’ successor. Until the definition, the vice-president of the CSMPF (Superior Council of the Federal Public Ministry), Elizeta Ramos, will be in charge of the position on an interim basis.
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