Public office must never be guided by friendships, Messias says without addressing PF criticism

Jorge Messias said public office must follow the Constitution, not personal friendships or affinities, as pressure grows around the Attorney General's Office and a dispute involving Brazil's Supreme Court.

In a social-media post on Sunday, Brazil's solicitor-general said he had President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's backing for his actions. He said public officials must approach state matters with impersonality, technical reasoning and transparency.

“State matters must be handled in accordance with constitutional principles, with impersonality, technical grounding and transparency,” Messias wrote. “Public office must never be guided by friendships, affinities or personal circumstances, but by the Constitution and the rules of the Republic.”

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State matters must be handled in accordance with constitutional principles, with impersonality, technical grounding and transparency. Public office must never be guided by friendships, affinities or personal circumstances, but by the Constitution and the rules of the Republic.

The statement came after Folha reported that Federal Police officials viewed Messias as having failed to act during a crisis that led Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça to order a report. The report exposed exchanges between Mendonça's court colleague, Justice Alexandre de Moraes, and former banker Daniel Vorcaro, whose relationship with Moraes was described in reports by Estadão and Folha as close.

Moraes responded by requesting an investigation into Mendonça for alleged abuse of authority, arguing that he may have opened an investigation into another justice without the court's authorization. The request also relied on a police document that criticized the Attorney General's Office and called it omissive.

Messias said he decided to speak out because of “various interpretations of my recent institutional positions.” He did not refer directly to any justice, the Supreme Court or the Federal Police director-general. He added that Lula had instructed him never to compromise the highest ethical and professional standards, and that he had the president's support to carry out his duties with legal rigor and “absolute fidelity to the Constitution.”

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I have President Lula's guidance never to compromise the highest ethical and professional standards. I have from His Excellency the necessary support to carry out my duties with technical independence, legal rigor and absolute fidelity to the Constitution.