Brazil’s popular Justice Minister Moro resigns
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SAO PAULO — Brazil’s Justice Minister Sérgio Moro, who became popular as a crusader against corruption, resigned on Friday. He made the announcement in a press conference on Friday after President Jair Bolsonaro decided to change the head of the country’s federal police in the midst of the new coronavirus outbreak.
Federal police chief Mauricio Valeixo worked closely with Moro in the sprawling Car Wash corruption probe until the end of 2018. The investigation ensnared scores of politicians and businessmen throughout Latin America, including former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the CEO of construction giant Odebrecht, and transformed Moro into a folk hero.
Moro told reporters on Friday that he had warned Bolsonaro that removing the head of the federal police without cause would amount to political interference. Bolsonaro did so anyway, without consulting Moro, the minister said.
