Lula criticized Moraes decision blocking Bolsonaro’s 2020 pick for federal police chief

In 2020, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized a Supreme Court decision that blocked Jair Bolsonaro from appointing Alexandre Ramagem to lead Brazil’s Federal Police. The remarks have resurfaced after Justice André Mendonça ordered the removal of the current police chief, Andrei Rodrigues, who was appointed by Lula.

Alexandre de Moraes issued the decision on April 29, 2020. In an interview with UOL, Lula said, “A single Supreme Court judge cannot take action to prevent it. We cannot allow institutions to act politically.” He added that the appointee should be blocked only if someone proved the police delegate had committed an offense.

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A single Supreme Court judge cannot take action to prevent it. We cannot allow institutions to act politically. If someone proves that the delegate committed an offense, then he is right to block him.

Lula also criticized then-Justice Minister Sérgio Moro, who resigned after Bolsonaro’s change at the top of the Federal Police. “The president of the Republic has more authority to appoint the delegate than the minister, after all, it was the president of the Republic who was elected,” Lula said. He added that the institution should be treated in a republican manner and should not serve as the president’s instrument.

Moraes intervened in the Ramagem appointment based mainly on Bolsonaro’s statements that he intended to use the investigative agency to produce information for his decisions.

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The president of the Republic has more authority to appoint the delegate than the minister, after all, it was the president of the Republic who was elected.