WHEN THE PARTY ACCUSED OF A CRIME IS THE PRESIDENT: The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office and the US “ad hoc” Prosecutor

Quando o acusado de um crime é o presidente: o procurador-geral da República e o promotor “ad hoc” norte-americano

ABSTRACT

This essay analyzes the prosecution models espoused in Brazil and in the US when the accused party is the president. Both the head of the Brazil’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office and the American prosecutor, ad hoc, were given a high degree of autonomy, which was reduced after scandals. Between the “autonomy to fight corruption” or “stability in the political system”, the latter prevailed after experiments with autonomous prosecutors.

KEYWORDS:
Public Prosecutor’s Office; Democracy; Autonomy; Accountability