Under Bolsonaro, Moraes blocked appointment of police chief who would have reported to Mendonça

Brazil's Supreme Court has seen two orders removing the head of the Federal Police in six years. The latest was signed by Justice André Mendonça on Tuesday the 8th. The other came from Alexandre de Moraes in 2020, during Jair Bolsonaro's government, when the two justices played very different roles.

Moraes issued his decision hours before Alexandre Ramagem was due to take office as Federal Police director on Bolsonaro's nomination. Ramagem would have been subordinate to Mendonça, who was preparing to leave the solicitor general's office to become justice minister. Ramagem and Mendonça were expected to take office together, but Mendonça was sworn in alone. In his speech, he called Bolsonaro a "prophet in the fight against crime."

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prophet in the fight against crime

In the April 2020 decision, Moraes cited statements by Sergio Moro, Mendonça's predecessor as justice minister. Moro had resigned from the post and accused Bolsonaro of interfering in the Federal Police. Moraes wrote that Moro said Bolsonaro had told him Ramagem would be appointed so he could exercise "political interference" in the institution through someone with personal access who could call, gather information and collect intelligence reports.

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political interference

The Bolsonaro government did not appeal Moraes's decision and kept Ramagem as head of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency, Abin. Ramagem and Bolsonaro were later convicted by the Supreme Court in the coup plot case, while the former Abin director is now a fugitive in the United States.

The earlier dispute has gained new attention as revelations involving Moraes, criticism from opponents and his distancing from Lula deepen the strain around the court. The developments have also raised questions about Moraes's possible leadership of the Supreme Court in 2027.

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to have someone with personal access to him, who could call, gather information and collect intelligence reports