Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

President Bolsonaro’s Promises and Actions on Corruption Control

PROMESSAS E AÇÕES DO PRESIDENTE BOLSONARO SOBRE CORRUPÇÃO

Abstract

Before the 2018 Brazilian presidential elections, candidate Jair Bolsonaro offered a bold message on corruption control. Among his promises, Bolsonaro vowed to promote government transparency, dismiss any member of his team accused of corruption, and defend the country’s institutions of accountability. Bolsonaro also offered to support a once-popular legislative reform proposal known as the Ten Measures Against Corruption. However, it is worth cautioning that anticorruption as a rhetorical device has been a near-permanent feature of the Brazilian political landscape. In this article, we seek to compare Bolsonaro’s campaign promises with his early actions as president. The evidence shows that, months after the 2018 elections, President Bolsonaro has failed the anticorruption mandate on which he was elected.

Corruption; Brazil; mandate; accountability; democracy

Resumo

Antes das eleições presidenciais de 2018 no Brasil, o candidato Jair Bolsonaro apresentou um discurso arrojado para o combate à corrupção. Entre as promessas que fez, comprometeu-se a promover a transparência no governo, demitir qualquer integrante de sua equipe acusado de corrupção e defender as instituições de controle no país. Também ofereceu apoio ao então popular projeto de lei conhecido como Dez Medidas Contra a Corrupção. No entanto, é importante alertar que o discurso anticorrupção, como um artifício retórico, é uma característica quase permanente do cenário político brasileiro há anos. Neste artigo, comparamos as promessas de campanha de Bolsonaro com suas ações enquanto presidente. Os dados indicam que, meses após as eleições de 2018, o presidente Bolsonaro falhou na promessa de um mandato anticorrupção para o qual foi eleito.

Corrupção; Brasil; mandato; accountability; democracia

INTRODUCTION

In 2018, before the Brazilian presidential elections, candidate Jair Bolsonaro celebrated the fact that he was one of a few politicians not to have received irregular funding from Petrobras ( LUPA, 2018LUPA . Jair Bolsonaro eleito: veja aqui 110 frases ditas por ele e checadas pela Lupa em 2018 . Folha de S.Paulo , Rio de Janeiro , 28 Oct . 28 2018 , sec. Lupa . Available at: https://piaui.folha.uol.com.br/lupa/2018/10/28/tudo-sobre-bolsonaro . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://piaui.folha.uol.com.br/lupa/2018...
). 1 1 The translation of Jair Bolsonaro’s statement: “My name was mentioned by Mr. Alberto Youssef [a black-market dealer] during his plea agreement [as] one of the three congressional members who did not receive money from Petrobras.” The original quote: “ Eu fui citado pelo senhor Alberto Youssef, por ocasião de sua delação premiada, [como] um dos três deputados que não foi pegar dinheiro na Petrobras ” ( LUPA, 2018 ). This was of consequence considering that the massive corruption scandal known as Lava Jato had begun at the Brazilian state-owned oil company ( DAVIS, 2019DAVIS , K. E. Between Impunity and Imperialism: The Regulation of Transnational Bribery . New York : Oxford University Press , 2019 . , p. 163). In response to the corruption revelations, high-level government officials were convicted, powerful firms were forced to pay restitution, and the Brazilian system of accountability appeared to reach a new level of efficacy ( ARANHA, 2020ARANHA , A. L. Lava Jato and Brazil’s Web of Accountability Institutions: A Turning Point for Corruption Control? In: LAGUNES , P. ; SVEJNAR , J. ( ed .) . Corruption and the Lava Jato Scandal in Latin America . New York : Routledge , 2020 . , p. 94-95 and 99-101; GANLEY and LAGUNES, 2020a, p. 227-228). 2 2 For a relevant discussion of Brazil’s accountability system, see: PRADO and CORNELIUS (2020) . Building on this momentum, candidate Bolsonaro promised citizens a different kind of government: an honest government. 3 3 As stated in candidate Jair Bolsonaro’s government plan (authors’ translation): “We propose a decent government [that will be] different from all that which has thrown us into an ethical, moral, and fiscal crisis. A government without quid pro quo, without spurious agreements.” The original quote: “ Propomos um governo decente, diferente de tudo aquilo que nos jogou em uma crise ética, moral e fiscal. Um governo sem ‘toma-lá-dá-cá’, sem acordos espúrios ” (BOLSONARO, 2018a, p. 2).

Jair Messias Bolsonaro is an army captain who, as a representative for the state of Rio de Janeiro, served for nearly thirty years in Congress (CÂMARA DOS DEPUTADOS, n.d.). He is described by critics as a right-wing populist known for making disparaging comments against women, gays, and blacks ( LEAHY and SCHIPANI, 2018LEAHY , J. ; SCHIPANI , A. Jair Bolsonaro Draws in Brazil Populists Despite Contradictions . The Financial Times . 17 Sep . 2018 , sec. Brazil . Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/d7df60cc-b7c4-11e8-bbc3-ccd7de085ffe . Accessed on: 13 Nov. 2020 .
https://www.ft.com/content/d7df60cc-b7c4...
; SIMÕES, 2018SIMÕES , M. Brazil’s Polarizing New President, Jair Bolsonaro, in His Own Words . The New York Times , New York , 8 Oct . 2018 . Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/28/world/americas/brazil-president-jair-bolsonaro-quotes.html . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/28/world...
; CHILD, 2019CHILD , D. Who Is Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s New Far-Right President? Al Jazeera , Rio de Janeiro , 1 Jan . 2019 . Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/01/who-is-jair-bolsonaro-brazils-new-far-right-president/ . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/0...
). In an apparent challenge to due process and human rights, Bolsonaro is on the record saying that “a good criminal is a dead criminal” ( LONDOÑO and ANDREONI, 2018LONDOÑO , E. ; ANDREONI , M. We’ll Dig Graves: Brazil’s New Leaders Vow to Kill Criminals . The New York Times , Rio de Janeiro , 1 Nov . 2018 , sec. Race & Policing . Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/01/world/americas/bolsonaro-police-kill-criminals.html . Accessed on: 13 Dec. 2020 .
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/01/world...
). Earlier in his political career, Bolsonaro even went so far as to call for authoritarian intervention in Brazil ( WILSON CENTER, 2018WILSON CENTER . Jair Bolsonaro – Candidate Bio . Washington, DC : Brazil Institute , 2018 . Available at: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/jair-bolsonaro-candidate-bio . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
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). In a 1999 interview, he warned that if he ever became president, he would close Congress ( SIMÕES, 2018SIMÕES , M. Brazil’s Polarizing New President, Jair Bolsonaro, in His Own Words . The New York Times , New York , 8 Oct . 2018 . Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/28/world/americas/brazil-president-jair-bolsonaro-quotes.html . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
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). “I would stage a military coup on the first day,” he said (HELAL FILHO, 2019). 4 4 The original statement: “Não há a menor dúvida, daria golpe no mesmo dia” (HELAL FILHO, 2019). “Through the vote,” he added, “you will not change anything in this country” (HELAL FILHO, 2019). 5 5 The original statement: “Através do voto você não vai mudar nada nesse país, nada, absolutamente nada” (HELAL FILHO, 2019).

But even as Bolsonaro has, at times, appeared unsympathetic to democracy and its ways, he has advanced his political career through none other than the path made available to him by democracy. And, in his aspiration for higher office, Bolsonaro announced his bid for the presidency in July of 2018.

Throughout the campaign season (and even shortly after winning the election), Bolsonaro expressly championed the anticorruption cause (see Figure 1 ). In fact, he made a number of specific promises on the matter. For instance, Bolsonaro promised to promote government transparency ( CAMPOS and GONÇALVES, 2019CAMPOS , A. C. ; GONÇALVES , C. Bolsonaro quer transparência em atos dos governos atual e anteriores . Agência Brasil , Brasília , 7 Jan . 2019 . Available at: https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politica/noticia/2019-01/bolsonaro-quer-transparencia-em-atos-dos-governos-atual-e-anteriores . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politic...
). He also promised to dismiss any member of his team accused of corruption (MONTEIRO, LINDNER and LIMA, 2018; FERNANDES, 2018FERNANDES , T. Bolsonaro diz que pode usar caneta Bic se houver denúncia robusta contra Onyx . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 5 Dec . 2018 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2018/12/bolsonaro-diz-que-pode-usar-caneta-bic-se-houver-denuncia-robusta-contra-onyx.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2018...
; HOUS, 2018HOUS , D. S. Bolsonaro diz que ministros com acusações contundentes deverão deixar governo . Folha de S.Paulo , São Paulo , 14 Nov . 2018 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2018/11/bolsonaro-diz-que-ministros-com-acusacoes-contundentes-deverao-deixar-governo.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
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) and to defend the country’s institutions of accountability (BOLSONARO, 2018a, p. 12). Regarding this last promise, Bolsonaro offered assurances that he would support the Lava Jato Task Force and its efforts to combat corruption (BOLSONARO, 2018b). Bolsonaro similarly offered to support the Lava Jato Task Force’s once-popular legislative reform proposal known as the Ten Measures Against Corruption (BOLSONARO, 2018a, p. 35). 6 6 The Ten Measures (or, as it was referred to in Brazil, “Dez Medidas Contra a Corrupção”) included proposals to end some of the legal privileges that make it difficult to prosecute elected officials, while—among other things—increasing the penalties for officials convicted of corruption ( CARVALHO, 2016 , p. 5; BULLOCK and STEPHENSON, 2020 , p. 216).

FIGURE 1
– WORDS EMPHASIZED IN CANDIDATE BOLSONARO’S GOVERNMENT PLAN

The word cloud depicts the frequency with which topics are mentioned in the body of candidate Bolsonaro’s official government plan. To generate the word cloud, we removed extraneous text and eliminated all remaining non-topical words. While the average word shown in the figure appears five times, the term corrupção appears thirteen times. The word cloud illustrates the relative importance of the corruption theme to Bolsonaro’s 2018BOLSONARO , E. Jair Bolsonaro fala sobre a prisão em 2ª instância . São Paulo : Jovem Pan , 2018 . 1 video ( 1 minute ). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N-PzihUnv4 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N-PzihU...
presidential campaign. Source text: BOLSONARO, Jair. O caminho da prosperidade: proposta de plano de governo . Brazil, 2018.

Bolsonaro’s strategy of railing against the corrupt status quo appeared to work. He won the presidency and, in his inaugural speech, called on all members of Congress to free Brazil of corruption ( UOL, 2019UOL . Bolsonaro diz que missão é livrar país da corrupção e submissão ideológica . UOL , Brasília , 1 Jan . 2019 . Available at: https://noticias.uol.com.br/politica/ultimas-noticias/2019/01/01/bolsonaro-primeiro-discurso-presidente-congresso.htm . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
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). However, it is worth cautioning that anticorruption as a rhetorical device has been a near-permanent feature of the Brazilian political landscape (AVRITZER et al. , 2008; DOS SANTOS, 2017DOS SANTOS , W. G. A democracia impedida: o Brasil no século XXI . Rio de Janeiro : Editora FGV , 2017 . ; SADEK, 2019SADEK , M. T. A. Combate à corrupção: novos tempos . Revista da CGU , v. 11 , n. 20 , p. 1276 – 1283 , 2019 . ). The question is whether the disconnect between what politicians promise and what they actually deliver is of relevance to the health of a democracy.

In this article, we assume that political rhetoric matters and that hypocrisy—however common—is in tension with accountability. During electoral campaigns, rhetoric is the means by which candidates communicate information to voters ( DOWNS, 1957DOWNS , A. An economic theory of democracy . New York : Harper Collins Publishers , 1957 . ), consequently shaping expectations about the future of policy ( STOKES, 2001STOKES , S. C. Mandates and Democracy: Neoliberalism by Surprise in Latin America . New York : Cambridge University Press , 2001 . , p. 2-4). Presidential inaugural addresses are similarly important considering that they set the tone and the policy agenda for the incoming administration ( RAGSDALE, 1984RAGSDALE , L. The Politics of Presidential Speechmaking, 1949-1980 . The American Political Science Review , v. 78 , n. 4 , p. 971 - 984 , 1984 . Available at: https://doi.org/10.2307/1955802 . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
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; CAMPBELL and JAMIESON, 2018). If officials go on to deliver on their early promises, they can be thought of as responsive to voters ( O’DONNELL, 1994O’DONNEL , G. A. Delegative Democracy . Journal of Democracy , v. 5 , n. 1 , p. 55 - 69 , Jan . 1994 . , p. 58). In this sense, responsiveness is achieved when “the democratic process induces the government to form and implement policies that the citizens want” ( POWELL, 2004POWELL , G. B. J. The Quality of Democracy: The Chain of Responsiveness . Journal of Democracy , v. 15 , n. 4 , p. 91 - 105 , 2004 . , p. 91).

With this in mind, we join those who warn about the importance of validating Jair Bolsonaro’s words against his actions ( ROSE-ACKERMAN and PIMENTA, 2020ROSE-ACKERMAN , S. ; PIMENTA , R. M. Corruption in Brazil: Beyond Criminal Law . In: LAGUNES , P. ; SVEJNAR , J. ( ed .) . Corruption and the Lava Jato Scandal in Latin America . New York : Routledge , 2020 . , p. 205). Two years after the 2018 elections, there is a growing body of evidence—summarized in the substance of this article—that President Bolsonaro has failed the anticorruption mandate that he set for himself. This is not to imply that everything about Bolsonaro’s administration can be judged a disappointment. Similarly, we do not pretend that, as president, Bolsonaro can control everything relating to corruption in Brazil. 7 7 That said, the president is a central actor with strong legislative powers in the Brazilian governing system ( ABRANCHES, 1988 ; FIGUEIREDO and LIMONGI, 2007 ; MELO and PEREIRA, 2013 ). Also, it is at least plausible that a few of the troubling trends highlighted here may be reversed before the President concludes his term. 8 8 Much of this article was drafted between the months of May and October of 2020. By the time this article is published, President Bolsonaro will have been in office for more than two years. But whatever happens in the years ahead, this article should serve as a resource that tracks Jair Bolsonaro’s original promises and early actions on the subject of corruption control.

1. POLITICAL PROMISES, CORRUPTION SCANDALS, AND INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Jair Bolsonaro is by no means the first politician to make promises regarding corruption control. In this section, we trace Brazil’s decades-long path of scandal and institutional development while also spotlighting other contemporary presidents who have made notable promises to fight corruption. Our brief historical review places Bolsonaro’s actions in broader context and introduces the institutional actors that will prove central to our analysis later, in Section 2.

1.1. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE FEDERAL PROSECUTION SYSTEM

We begin our historical review by noting that the years of military rule in Brazil—that is, the years between 1964 and 1985—were marred by scandal ( GEDDES and RIBEIRO NETO, 1992GEDDES , B. ; RIBEIRO NETO , A. Institutional Sources of Corruption in Brazil . Third World Quarterly , v. 13 , n. 4 , p. 641 - 661 , 1992 . , p. 647). Table 1 lists the most prominent corruption scandals that occurred during the administrations of generals Emílio Garrastazu Médici (1969-1974), Ernesto Geisel (1974-1979), and João Baptista Figueiredo (1979-1985).

table 1
– Presidential Promises to Fight Corruption & Corruption Scandals (1964-1992)

After reestablishment of civilian rule through enactment of the Constitution of 1988, Brazil laid the foundations for the country’s present-day system of accountability ( POWER and TAYLOR, 2011POWER , T. J. ; TAYLOR , M. M. Introduction: Accountability Institutions and Political Corruption in Brazil . In: POWER , T. J. ; TAYLOR , M. M. ( ed .) . Corruption and Democracy in Brazil: The Struggle for Accountability . Notre Dame : University of Notre Dame Press , 2011 . ; CARSON and PRADO, 2014CARSON , L. ; PRADO , M. M. Mapping Corruption and Its Institutional Determinants in Brazil . International Research Initiative on Brazil and Africa (IRIBA) , Manchester , 2014 . Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57a089efed915d3cfd0004d6/IRIBA_WP08_Mapping_Corruption_and_its_Institutional_Derminants_in_Brazil.pdf . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
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). This critical step in institutional development is best exemplified by changes to the Federal Prosecution System (in Portuguese, Ministério Público da União or MPU). 9 9 The MPU was created in 1951 and is headed by the Chief General Prosecutor. There are a few different agencies under the MPU’s governance structure, including the Federal Prosecution Service ( Ministério Público Federal , MPF), the Labor Prosecution Service ( Ministério Público do Trabalho , MPT), and the Military Prosecution Service ( Ministério Público Militar ) ( BRAZIL, 1993 ; ABREU, 2010 ). Reforms enacted a few years before had given the MPU greater autonomy and power ( ARANTES 2002ARANTES , R. B. Ministério Público e Política no Brasil . São Paulo : Editora Sumaré , 2002 . ; KERCHE, 2008KERCHE , F. Autonomy and discretionary power of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Brazil . Dados , Rio de Janeiro , v. 4 , Selected Edition , 2008 . Available at: http://socialsciences.scielo.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0011-52582008000100002&lng=en&tlng=en . Accessed on: 11 Apr. 2021 .
http://socialsciences.scielo.org/scielo....
; PRAÇA and TAYLOR, 2014PRAÇA , S. ; TAYLOR , M. M. Inching Toward Accountability: The Evolution of Brazil’s Anticorruption Institutions, 1985-2010 . Latin American Politics and Society , v. 56 , n. 2 , p. 27 - 48 , 2014 . Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2014.00230.x . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2014...
), but it is the 1988 Constitution that actually granted the MPU much of the independence that it enjoys today (ARANTES, 2004; ARANHA, 2018ARANHA , A. L. The Web of Accountability Institutions and Corruption Control in Brazil . In: OECD Global Anti-Corruption & integrity Forum , 2018, Paris . France : OECD , 2018 . Available at: https://www.oecd.org/corruption/integrity-forum/academic-papers/Aranha.pdf . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.oecd.org/corruption/integrit...
). However, this is not to suggest that the MPU is completely immune to external influence.

The manner by which the MPU’s leadership is selected gives members of the political class an opportunity to shape the Federal Prosecution System. The head of the MPU—that is, the Chief General Prosecutor ( Procurador-Geral da República )—is the person responsible for both bringing corruption charges against top-level politicians and overseeing the Federal Prosecution Service, or, as it is known in Portuguese, Ministério Público Federal (FALCÃO et al ., 2017; ARANTES, 2019ARANTES , R. B. Como uma inédita triangulação na Justiça Criminal produziu a interceptada Lava Jato . Época , Brasília , 13 June 2019 . Available at: https://epoca.globo.com/como-uma-inedita-triangulacao-na-justica-criminal-produziu-interceptada-lava-jato-23736093 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
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). Candidates to this position are first nominated by the president and then confirmed by the Senate ( ABREU, 2010ABREU , A. A. O que é o Ministério Público? Rio de Janeiro : Editora FGV , 2010 . ). As we illustrate later, it is through this selection process that congressional members and cabinet ministers have a hand in the fate of anticorruption efforts in the country.

1.2. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE FEDERAL PROSECUTION SERVICE

The importance of the Ministério Público Federal —or MPF, for short—can hardly be overstated. Even accounting for the aforementioned risk of political interference, officials in Brazil have learned that the MPF is an institution to be reckoned with. Since democracy was restored, prosecutors working for the MPF have been increasingly active in exposing corruption ( TAYLOR and BURANELLI, 2007TAYLOR , M. M. ; BURANELLI , V. C. Ending up in Pizza: Accountability as a Problem of Institutional Arrangement in Brazil . Latin American Politics and Society , v. 49 , n. 1 , p. 59 - 87 , 2007 . Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2007.tb00374.x . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2007...
). In fact, the MPF stands out as the agency that led the charge during Operação Lava Jato .

And it is because of their work on Lava Jato that members of the MPF have been the object of intense controversy (GANLEY and LAGUNES, 2020b, p. 186). On the one hand, some charge those involved in the Lava Jato Task Force with committing rights violations, showing excessive dependence on evidence drawn from plea bargains, and undermining Brazilian democracy by going after elected government officials, especially from left-leaning parties ( LAGUNES, 2020LAGUNES , P. An Interview with Deltan Dallagnol . In: LAGUNES , P. ; SVEJNAR , J. ( ed .) . Corruption and the Lava Jato scandal in Latin America. New York : Routledge , 2020 . , p. 113). On the other hand, the Lava Jato Task Force managed to win a high number of convictions and prison sentences totaling more than 2,000 years ( LAGUNES, 2020LAGUNES , P. An Interview with Deltan Dallagnol . In: LAGUNES , P. ; SVEJNAR , J. ( ed .) . Corruption and the Lava Jato scandal in Latin America. New York : Routledge , 2020 . , p. 113). Thus, in one sense, Lava Jato is an entirely unique event in a national setting where corrupt elites have historically evaded conviction ( TAYLOR and BURANELLI, 2007TAYLOR , M. M. ; BURANELLI , V. C. Ending up in Pizza: Accountability as a Problem of Institutional Arrangement in Brazil . Latin American Politics and Society , v. 49 , n. 1 , p. 59 - 87 , 2007 . Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2007.tb00374.x . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2007...
). In another sense, Lava Jato can be thought of as a recent link in the long chain of corruption scandals affecting Brazil even after democracy was reestablished in 1988. 10 10 We fully acknowledge that witnessing scandals during a given presidential administration is not necessarily the result of broken promises or lack of political responsiveness. In fact, it could reflect the opposite. More accountable or responsive administrations might be more inclined to spotlight and confront corruption, thus increasing the number of scandals observed over a given time period. Following this line of thinking, readers should view the lack of corruption scandals during the 1964-1969 period with skepticism (see Table 1 ). Is it that corruption was actually under control during this period of military rule, or is it that the lack of freedom and democracy in Brazil before 1988 made it easier to hide corruption allegations? In our opinion, the latter seems more likely.

1.3. CORRUPTION SCANDALS: FROM SARNEY TO COLLOR

It is in 1988 that a parliamentary inquiry committee (in Portuguese, Comissão Parlamentar de Inquérito or CPI) was created in Congress to investigate corruption in President José Sarney’s administration (FOLHA DE S.PAULO, 1994b). While the committee recommended impeaching Sarney, the Lower Chamber voted against the measure ( FIORI, 2006FIORI , M. Saiba mais sobre as CPIs do Orçamento (1993) e da Corrupção (1988) . Agência Brasil , Brasília , 4 Aug . 2006 . Available at: http://memoria.ebc.com.br/agenciabrasil/noticia/2006-08-04/saiba-mais-sobre-cpis-do-orcamento-1993-e-da-corrupcao-1988 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
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). 11 11 The year before, the same newspaper had revealed allegations of irregularities in the public bidding for the construction of a railroad, leading to another congressional inquiry ( CPI Ferrovia Norte e Sul ) and the cancellation of the bidding ( FREITAS, 1987 ; WAISBORD, 2000 ; POWER and TAYLOR, 2011 , p. 2). Still, the multiple scandals witnessed during the Sarney administration (see Table 1 ) are seemingly what led a number of presidential candidates in the 1989 election to promise to fight corruption. Among the various candidates, Fernando Collor de Mello was nicknamed the “hunter of maharajahs” due to his penchant for attacking the high salaries and perks of public officials ( SCHNEIDER, 1991SCHNEIDER , B. R. Brazil under Collor: Anatomy of a Crisis . World Policy Journal , v. 8 , n. 2 , p. 321 - 347 , 1991 . ).

Upon winning the presidential election, Collor used his inaugural speech to reaffirm his commitment to anticorruption (see Table 1 ). After some time in office, however, scandals involving his administration began to accumulate ( WEYLAND, 1993WEYLAND , K. The Rise and Fall of President Collor and Its Impact on Brazilian Democracy . Journal of International Studies and World Affairs , v. 35 , n. 1 , p. 1 - 37 , 1993 . ). Collor ultimately resigned after a failed attempt to avoid impeachment ( FIGUEIREDO, 2010FIGUEIREDO , A. C. The Collor Impeachment and Presidential Government in Brazil . In: LLANOS , M. ; MARSTEINTREDET , L. ( ed .) . Presidential Breakdowns in Latin America: Causes and Outcomes of Executive Instability in Developing Democracies . New York : Palgrave Macmillan , 2010 . ). 12 12 Though President Collor was cleared of corruption charges by the Supreme Court ( AURÉLIO, 2010 ; MOTTA, 2014 ), years later, while a sitting senator, he was among the politicians implicated in Lava Jato ( AMORIM, 2017 ).

1.4. CORRUPTION SCANDAL: THE FRANCO ADMINISTRATION

When Collor left the presidency, he was replaced by Vice President Itamar Franco (1992-1995) whose administration soon faced corruption scandals of its own (see Table 2 ). For instance, the CPI dos Anões do Orçamento (in English, “Budget Dwarfs”) investigated the diversion of public funds to ghost firms controlled by members of the congressional budget committee, most of whom were physically short and part of the so-called baixo clero or lower clergy (FOLHA DE S.PAULO, 1994a; FILGUEIRAS and VALE, 2002FILGUEIRAS , S. ; VALE , A. M. Mantidos os segredos dos anões . IstoÉ , Brasília , 25 Sep . 2002 . Available at: https://istoe.com.br/25780_MANTIDOS+OS+SEGREDOS+DOS+ANOES/ . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://istoe.com.br/25780_MANTIDOS+OS+S...
; PRAÇA, 2011PRAÇA , S. Corrupção e reforma institucional no Brasil, 1988-2008 . Opinião Pública , v. 17 , n. 1 , p. 137 - 162 , 2011 . ; MORENO, 2015MORENO , J. B. A incômoda companhia dos escândalos: casos de corrupção estouraram em todos os governos . O Globo , Rio de Janeiro , 15 Mar . 2015 . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/a-incomoda-companhia-dos-escandalos-casos-de-corrupcao-estouraram-em-todos-os-governos-15598762 . Accessed on: 12 Oct. 2020 .
https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/a-incomo...
; MATAIS et al ., 2016). The committee’s final report recommended that eighteen of the thirty-seven parliamentarians under investigation be removed, though only six of them actually lost their mandate ( FIORI, 2006FIORI , M. Saiba mais sobre as CPIs do Orçamento (1993) e da Corrupção (1988) . Agência Brasil , Brasília , 4 Aug . 2006 . Available at: http://memoria.ebc.com.br/agenciabrasil/noticia/2006-08-04/saiba-mais-sobre-cpis-do-orcamento-1993-e-da-corrupcao-1988 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
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). It is worth noting that, during the congressional inquiry, three governors and seven current or former cabinet ministers were accused of participating in the scheme to benefit organizations and firms, including Odebrecht ( MURELLO, 1993MURELLO , P. Brazil Scandal: ‘7 Dwarfs’, Huge Cash Payoffs – Officials Accused of Milking Millions From Federal Budget . Associated Press , 1993 . Available at: from: https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19931024&slug=1727756 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive...
; GASPAR, 2020GASPAR , M. A Organização: a Odebrecht e o esquema de corrupção que chocou o mundo . Rio de Janeiro : Cia das Letras , 2020 . ).

TABLE 2
– PRESIDENTIAL PROMISES TO FIGHT CORRUPTION AND CORRUPTION SCANDALS (1992-2018)

1.5. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE FEDERAL REVENUE SERVICE, THE COUNCIL FOR CONTROL OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES, AND THE INSPECTOR GENERAL

Crucially, the Franco administration is not remembered solely for the scandals that occurred during its watch. There were several areas that witnessed notable progress. For example, the Federal Revenue Service (in Portuguese, Receita Federal) was granted new resources and attributions which allowed it to conduct a more effective oversight of financial transactions ( POWER and TAYLOR, 2011POWER , T. J. ; TAYLOR , M. M. Introduction: Accountability Institutions and Political Corruption in Brazil . In: POWER , T. J. ; TAYLOR , M. M. ( ed .) . Corruption and Democracy in Brazil: The Struggle for Accountability . Notre Dame : University of Notre Dame Press , 2011 . , p. 267; PRAÇA and TAYLOR, 2014PRAÇA , S. ; TAYLOR , M. M. Inching Toward Accountability: The Evolution of Brazil’s Anticorruption Institutions, 1985-2010 . Latin American Politics and Society , v. 56 , n. 2 , p. 27 - 48 , 2014 . Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2014.00230.x . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2014...
, p. 34).

Years later, during the presidency of Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2002), anti-money laundering efforts were further reinforced with new legislation. The Cardoso administration also created key institutions that come up again later in this article: the Council for Control of Financial Activities ( Conselho de Controle de Atividades Financeiras or COAF) and the National Disciplinary Office ( Corregedoria-Geral da União or CGU). The former is responsible for countering money laundering and terrorism financing ( PRAÇA and TAYLOR, 2014PRAÇA , S. ; TAYLOR , M. M. Inching Toward Accountability: The Evolution of Brazil’s Anticorruption Institutions, 1985-2010 . Latin American Politics and Society , v. 56 , n. 2 , p. 27 - 48 , 2014 . Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2014.00230.x . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2014...
, p. 34; ARANHA, 2020ARANHA , A. L. Lava Jato and Brazil’s Web of Accountability Institutions: A Turning Point for Corruption Control? In: LAGUNES , P. ; SVEJNAR , J. ( ed .) . Corruption and the Lava Jato Scandal in Latin America . New York : Routledge , 2020 . , p. 99-100). The latter is responsible for investigating and punishing corruption among civil servants ( FLEISHER, 2002FLEISHER , D. V. Corruption in Brazil: Defining, Measuring, and Reducing . A report of the CSIS Americas Program . Washington, DC : Center for Strategic & Int’l Studies , 2002 . ; ODILLA, 2020ODILLA , F. Oversee and Punish: Understanding the Fight Against Corruption Involving Government Workers in Brazil . Politics and Governance , v. 8 , n. 2 , p. 140 - 152 , May 2020 . ).

1.6. CORRUPTION SCANDALS: THE CARDOSO ADMINISTRATION

Unfortunately, the progress made on corruption control during the Cardoso administration is tarnished by the corruption scandals witnessed during that same period. Among these scandals was one involving allegations of congressional vote buying to enable Cardoso (and subsequent presidents) to run for reelection ( RODRIGUES, 2014RODRIGUES , F. Conheça a história da compra de votos a favor da emenda da reeleição . Blog do Fernando Rodrigues , Brasília , 16 June 2014 . Available at: https://fernandorodrigues.blogosfera.uol.com.br/2014/06/16/conheca-a-historia-da-compra-de-votos-a-favor-da-emenda-da-reeleicao/ . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://fernandorodrigues.blogosfera.uol...
). Another stemmed from audio files which suggested that the federal government interfered in the privatization of telecommunication companies ( RODRIGUES and LOBATO, 1999RODRIGUES , F. ; LOBATO , E. FHC tomou partido de consórcio no leilão das teles, revelam fitas . Folha de S.Paulo , São Paulo , 25 May 1999 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/brasil/especial/sp7.htm . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/brasil...
).

There were other scandals as well (see Table 2 ), but few triggered successful prosecution. This is generally thought to be because Geraldo Brindeiro—the person that Cardoso appointed to serve as Chief General Prosecutor—seemed inclined to shelve not-yet-completed criminal investigations ( FREITAS, 2003FREITAS , S. “Engavetador” é apelido injusto, diz Brindeiro . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 7 June 2003 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/brasil/fc0706200313.htm . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/brasil...
). As a result, Brindeiro was given the nickname “ engavetador-geral ,” which loosely translates to “shelver-in-chief” ( KERCHE and MARONA, 2018KERCHE , F. ; MARONA , M. O Ministério Público na Operação Lava Jato: Como eles chegaram até aqui? In: KERCHE , F. ; FERES JÚNIOR , J. ( coord .) . Operação Lava Jato e a Democracia Brasileira . São Paulo : Editora Contracorrente , 2018 . p. 69 - 100 . ).

1.7. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL, THE LISTA TRÍPLICE, AND THE FEDERAL POLICE

Because of the apparent impunity observed during the Cardoso administration, in 2002, as the presidential candidate for the Workers’ Party, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised voters that he would bring corruption under control ( GOLDFRANK and WAMPLER, 2017GOLDFRANK , B. ; WAMPLER , B. Good Government and Politics as Usual? The Schizophrenic Path of the Workers’ Party . In: KINGSTONE , P. ; POWER , T. J. ( ed .) . Democratic Brazil Divided . Pittsburgh : University of Pittsburgh Press , 2017 , p. 53 - 74 . ).

Under Lula’s watch, Brazil witnessed a rise in the number of anticorruption audits ( FERRAZ and FINAN, 2008FERRAZ , C. ; FINAN , F. Exposing corrupt politicians: The effects of Brazil’s publicly released audits on electoral outcomes . Quarterly Journal of Economics , v. 123 . n. 2 , p. 703 - 745 , May 2008 . ) as well as an increase in the number of parliamentary inquiries (i.e., CPIs) into suspected irregularities. Moreover, key government agencies were offered greater support. For instance, the CGU was renamed the Office of the Comptroller General ( Controladoria-Geral da União ) and was granted new powers and responsibilities ( PRAÇA and TAYLOR, 2014PRAÇA , S. ; TAYLOR , M. M. Inching Toward Accountability: The Evolution of Brazil’s Anticorruption Institutions, 1985-2010 . Latin American Politics and Society , v. 56 , n. 2 , p. 27 - 48 , 2014 . Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2014.00230.x . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-2456.2014...
; ODILLA, 2020ODILLA , F. Oversee and Punish: Understanding the Fight Against Corruption Involving Government Workers in Brazil . Politics and Governance , v. 8 , n. 2 , p. 140 - 152 , May 2020 . ). The Federal Police, which had long prioritized the fight against drug trafficking, was also allocated additional personnel and equipment to counter money laundering and white-collar crime ( PONTES and ANSELMO, 2019PONTES , J. ; ANSELMO , M. Crime.gov: Quando Corrupção e Governo se Misturam . São Paulo : Objetiva , 2019 . ).

Also of note, the Lula administration adopted a number of best practices. Namely, in 2003, as a means to protect the MPU’s independence against political interference (see the discussion in Section 1.1), Lula was the first president to nominate a new Chief General Prosecutor based on the so-called lista tríplice —i.e., a list of three reputable candidates proposed by the country’s federal prosecutors via the Association of National Prosecutors.

1.8. CORRUPTION SCANDALS: THE LULA ADMINISTRATION

In spite of this progress, the Lula administration still faced a number of corruption scandals, including those known as Bingos/Waldomiro Diniz, Palocci, Sanguessugas , and Navalha (see Table 2 ; also, again, see footnote 10). However, the scandal which surpassed them all was Mensalão ( MICHENER and PEREIRA, 2016MICHENER , G. ; PEREIRA , C. A Great Leap Forward for Democracy and the Rule of Law? Brazil’s Mensalão Trial . Journal of Latin American Studies , v. 48 . 3 . p. 477 - 507 , 2016 . ).

In an interview with Folha de S.Paulo, then-congressional member Roberto Jefferson claimed that members of Congress were offered periodic payments—which he called mensalão —to secure legislative support for Lula’s policy agenda ( LO PRETE, 2005LO PRETE , R. Jefferson denuncia mesada paga pelo tesoureiro do PT . Folha de S.Paulo , São Paulo , 6 Jun . 6 , 2005 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/brasil/fc0606200502.htm . Accessed on: 8 Nov. 2020 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/brasil...
). And even though those implicated in Mensalão 13 13 In the wake of Mensalão , representatives from opposition parties also faced investigations and criminal trials for similar quid pro quo schemes. These particular scandals became known as Mensalão do DEM and Mensalão Tucano, both of which are listed in Table 2 . were tried by the federal Supreme Court ( DOWNIE, 2012DOWNIE , A. Brazil targets corruption in “trial of the century” . The Christian Science Monitor , São Paulo , 15 Aug . 2012 . Available at: https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2012/0815/Brazil-targets-corruption-in-trial-of-the-century . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas...
), 14 14 In Brazil, members of parliament, government ministers, the president, the vice president, and members of the higher courts are subject to a special jurisdiction ( foro privilegiado ). Only the Supreme Court can judge members of this group. See Section 2.8 for further discussion. the Workers’ Party won two more presidential elections: the re-election of Lula in 2006 and the election of Dilma Rousseff in 2010.

1.9. CORRUPTION SCANDALS: THE ROUSSEFF ADMINISTRATION

As Brazil’s first female president, Rousseff began her term promoting what became known as faxina ética, an effort which sought to promote an ethical cleaning of sorts ( KRAKOVICS, 2014KRAKOVICS , F. Primeiro mandato de Dilma começou com faxina ética e termina com escândalo na Petrobras . O Globo , Brasília , 31 Dec . 2014 . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/primeiro-mandato-de-dilma-comecou-com-faxina-etica-termina-com-escandalo-na-petrobras-14940078 . Accessed on: 20 Oct. 2020 .
https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/primeiro...
; LIMONGI, 2017LIMONGI , F. Impedindo Dilma . Novos Estudos – CEBRAP ; São Paulo , Special Issue, p. 5 - 13 , Jun . 2017 . Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.25091/S01013300201700040001 . Accessed on: 15 Nov. 2020 .
http://dx.doi.org/10.25091/S010133002017...
). As part of this attempt at promoting government integrity, Rousseff fired six ministers suspected of corruption ( ALENCASTRO and BRAGA, 2013ALENCASTRO , C. ; BRAGA , I. Ministros demitidos estão de volta da faxina ética de Dilma . O Globo , Rio de Janeiro , 9 March 2013 . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/ministros-demitidos-estao-de-volta-da-faxina-etica-de-dilma-7794170 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/ministro...
). In 2011, she also enacted the Lei de Acesso à Informação , Brazil’s freedom of information (FOI) law ( RODRIGUES, 2020RODRIGUES , K. F. The politics of Brazil’s access to information policies: history and coalitions . Revista de Administração Pública , v. 54 , n. 1 , p. 142 - 161 , 2020 . ). When the law was first introduced in Congress, it was explicitly proposed as an anticorruption measure. 15 15 As explained by Dilma Rousseff and others in the message that accompanied the Lei de Acesso à Informação , “Access to public information […] is one of the strongest tools for fighting corruption” (ROUSSEFF et al. , 2009).

Despite the way Rousseff began her presidency, starting in 2013 protesters began taking to the streets to express their dissatisfaction with the quality of public services ( GOHN, 2014GOHN , M. G. A sociedade brasileira em movimento: vozes das ruas e seus ecos políticos e sociais . Caderno CRH , v. 27 , n. 71 , p. 431 - 441 , 2014 . ). Many were angry at the billions spent on new football stadiums for the 2014 World Cup ( WATTS, 2013WATTS , J. Brazil Erupts in Protest: More Than a Million on the Streets . The Guardian , Rio de Janeiro , 21 June 2013 . Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/21/brazil-police-crowds-rio-protest . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/ju...
). Seemingly in response to the rise in public anger, with Rousseff’s support, Congress passed two legislative bills that would allow plea bargaining for criminal law proceedings and leniency agreements with companies for administrative law proceedings ( MENDES, 2013MENDES , P. Dilma sanciona sem vetos lei que define organização criminosa . G1 , Brasília , 2 Aug . 2013 . Available at: g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2013/08/dilma-sanciona-sem-vetos-lei-que-define-organizacao-criminosa.html . Accessed on: 15 Apr. 2021 .
g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2013/08/di...
; ODILLA, 2018ODILLA , F. 5 anos depois, o que aconteceu com as reivindicações dos protestos que pararam o Brasil em junho de 2013 . BBC News Brasil , London , 9 Jun . 2018 . Available at: https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-44353703 . Accessed on: 15 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-44...
). It is around this time that Lava Jato began to unfold.

In spite of the growing public discontent, Rousseff managed to get re-elected in 2014 for a second term ( AMARAL and RIBEIRO, 2018AMARAL , O. ; RIBEIRO , P. F. Por que Dilma de novo? Uma análise exploratória do estudo eleitoral brasileiro de 2014 . In: FIGUEIREDO , A. C. ; BORBA , F. ( ed .) . 25 Anos de Eleições Presidenciais no Brasil . Curitiba : Appris , 2018 . ). And, when taking the oath of office in 2015, Rousseff stressed an anticorruption message (see Table 2 ). However, her message failed to appease the public. Many protested against the government of the Workers’ Party and in favor of the Lava Jato Task Force’s work, which was closing in on a growing number of politicians ( GOHN, 2014GOHN , M. G. A sociedade brasileira em movimento: vozes das ruas e seus ecos políticos e sociais . Caderno CRH , v. 27 , n. 71 , p. 431 - 441 , 2014 . ; RAMOS et al ., 2014; PRAÇA, 2017PRAÇA , S. Guerra à corrupção: Lições da Lava Jato . São Paulo : Évora , 2017 . ). It is in this context that Rousseff’s administration was cut short by impeachment. 16 16 Rousseff was accused of spending public funds without congressional authorization and was impeached in August, shortly after the 2016 Olympics. Rousseff herself was not accused of corruption ( LAGUNES and ROSE-ACKERMAN, 2017 ). Not long after, Lula was jailed and the evidence of corruption stemming from Lava Jato seemed to fuel political support for the presidential candidacy of Jair Bolsonaro.

2. TRACKING JAIR BOLSONARO’S PROMISES ON CORRUPTION CONTROL

According to a number of surveys, months after Jair Bolsonaro assumed the presidency, Brazilians were still concerned about corruption. One such survey revealed that, between 2018 and 2020, Brazilians grew pessimistic about the fate of accountability in their country. According to that survey, days after Bolsonaro was elected, a majority of the population (56%) estimated that corruption would soon decrease ( XP/IPESPE, 2020XP/IPESPE . Pesquisa com a população . 28-30 Apr . 2020 . Available at: https://conteudos.xpi.com.br/politica/pesquisa-xp-abril-2020-avaliacao-positiva-de-bolsonaro-cai-4-pontos-2/ . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://conteudos.xpi.com.br/politica/pe...
). By April of 2020, only a minority (18%) still held that belief, while many more (45%) thought that corruption would worsen in the coming months ( XP/IPESPE, 2020XP/IPESPE . Pesquisa com a população . 28-30 Apr . 2020 . Available at: https://conteudos.xpi.com.br/politica/pesquisa-xp-abril-2020-avaliacao-positiva-de-bolsonaro-cai-4-pontos-2/ . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://conteudos.xpi.com.br/politica/pe...
).

According to a different survey, some two years after Bolsonaro was elected president, approximately 55% of Brazilians had reached the conclusion that the Bolsonaro administration was no better at fighting corruption than previous ones ( MARTINS, 2020MARTINS , H. Combate à corrupção: 54% dos brasileiros acham que Bolsonaro trabalhou menos ou igual aos governos anteriores, diz pesquisa . Estado de Minas , Belo Horizonte , 17 Aug . 2020 . Available at: https://www.em.com.br/app/noticia/politica/2020/08/17/interna_politica,1176919/corrupcao-para-54-bolsonaro-fez-menos-ou-igual-governos-anteriores.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.em.com.br/app/noticia/politi...
; PARANÁ PESQUISAS, 2020PARANÁ PESQUISAS . Pesquisa de Opinião Pública Nacional . Instituto Paraná Pesquisas . 2020 . Available at: https://www.paranapesquisas.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/MidiaBR_Ago20.pdf . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.paranapesquisas.com.br/wp-co...
). A different survey conducted around the same time showed that a majority of the population in Brazil still perceived corruption in their midst, with approximately 77% saying that corruption had either increased or remained the same between 2018 and 2020 ( CNT/MDA, 2020CNT/MDA . Pesquisa CNT de Opinião 2020 , Rodada 147 . Brasília, DF : CNT/MDA , 2020 . Available at: https://cdn.cnt.org.br/diretorioVirtualPrd/31867232-a15a-448e-b064-b538a34f9256.pdf . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://cdn.cnt.org.br/diretorioVirtualP...
, p. 25; FUZEIRA, 2020FUZEIRA , V. Lava Jato: 84% dos brasileiros defendem continuidade da operação . Metrópoles , Brasília , 26 Oct . 2020 . Available at: https://www.metropoles.com/brasil/lava-jato-84-dos-brasileiros-defendem-continuidade-da-operacao . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.metropoles.com/brasil/lava-j...
). Given the shifts in popular opinion, it is possible that—two years after the 2018 elections—Brazilians began to sense an incongruence between Bolsonaro’s original campaign promises and his actions as president.

With this issue in mind, Tables 3 and 4 highlight eight corruption-related promises that Jair Bolsonaro made between March 29, 2018, and January 7, 2019. Nearly all of the promises listed in these tables were communicated during the campaign season, though one was also communicated as part of Bolsonaro’s inaugural speech as president. While these are not all of Bolsonaro’s early promises on corruption control, they arguably represent the most important issues that Bolsonaro and his team chose to promote. The promises cover a range of topics—from defending corruption-fighting institutions to firing high-level appointed officials suspected of corruption. In this section, we review each promise, beginning with the promise referring to government transparency. 17 17 Transparency is considered relevant to our line of inquiry based on a core assumption: officials in regimes that embrace transparency realize their actions are subject to review, and therefore are induced to act with greater honesty ( LAGUNES, 2021 , p. 25).

2.1. PROMISE TO PROMOTE GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY

First as a presidential candidate, and then as a newly elected president, Jair Bolsonaro promised to promote transparency in government. 18 18 One of Jair Bolsonaro’s key statements on the subject of government transparency was: “Transparência acima de tudo. Todos os nossos atos terão que ser abertos para o público. E o que aconteceu no passado também. Não podemos admitir qualquer cláusula de confidencialidade pretérita. Esses atos e ações tornar-se-ão públicos” ( CAMPOS and GONÇALVES, 2019 ). See Table 3 for the English language translation of the statement. TABLE 3 – CANDIDATE JAIR BOLSONARO’S PROMISES TO FIGHT CORRUPTION (PART 1 OF 2) TOPIC SUBTOPIC DATE TRANSLATED QUOTE⍴ NOTABLE ACTIONS OR OMISSIONS RELATING TO THE CAMPAIGN PROMISE TRANSPARENCY GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY AUGUST 14, 2018 (TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTIONS) “TRANSPARENCY AND COMBATING CORRUPTION ARE NON-NEGOTIABLE GOALS.”1 A NUMBER OF PRESIDENT JAIR BOLSONARO’S ACTIONS HAVE SOUGHT TO WEAKEN GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY, INCLUDING EXECUTIVE MEASURES THAT LIMITED THE HANDLING OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (FOI). JANUARY 7, 2019 (SIX DAYS AFTER BEING SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT) “TRANSPARENCY ABOVE ALL. ALL OF OUR ACTS WILL HAVE TO BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.”2 INSTITUTIONS OF ACCOUNTABILITY SUPPORTING THE LAVA JATO TASK FORCE September 11, 2018 (a month before the elections) “Supporting Lava Jato is fundamental to the fight against corruption in Brazil.”3 PRESIDENT JAIR BOLSONARO’S DECISION TO NOMINATE AUGUSTO ARAS TO SERVE AS PROSECUTOR GENERAL JEOPARDIZED THE LAVA JATO TASK FORCE. INSTITUTIONS OF ACCOUNTABILITY DEFENDING CORRUPTION-FIGHTING INSTITUTIONS AUGUST 14, 2018 (TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTIONS) “URGENT CHALLENGES: WIDESPREAD CORRUPTION AND THREATS TO THE INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE FIGHTING IT.”1 PRESIDENT JAIR BOLSONARO’S ACTIONS AND INACTIONS HAVE DONE MORE THAN UNDERMINE THE LAVA JATO TASK FORCE. DUE TO A CLAIM THAT HE ILLEGALLY INTERFERED IN THE FEDERAL POLICE, HE CAME UNDER INVESTIGATION IN THE SUPREME COURT. AT CRITICAL MOMENTS, BOLSONARO’S ADMINISTRATION HAS ALSO FAILED TO SUPPORT THE BRAZILIAN FINANCIAL INTELIGENCE UNIT (COAF) AND THE FEDERAL REVENUE SERVICE (RECEITA FEDERAL). MERIT-BASED APPOINTMENTS & DISMISSALS COALITION BUILDING SEPTEMBER 11, 2018 (A MONTH BEFORE THE ELECTIONS) “[T]O ATTACK CORRUPTION AT ITS ROOT, BY PUTTING AN END TO THE GOVERNMENT’S POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS IN EXCHANGE FOR SUPPORT.”3 IN AN EFFORT TO WIN LEGISLATIVE SUPPORT, PRESIDENT BOLSONARO HAS DELIVERED POSITIONS OF GOVERNMENT TO CONGRESSMEN FROM A GROUP CALLED CENTRÃO . ⍴AUTHORS’ TRANSLATION. 1BOLSONARO (2018 A). 2CAMPOS AND GONÇALVES (2019) . 3BOLSONARO (2018 B). Source: Authors. However, many of Bolsonaro’s actions have actually served to weaken government transparency. The most conspicuous attempt of this sort occurred in early 2019, only a month after Bolsonaro took office, when his administration issued a decree (9.690/2019) that vastly augmented the number of officials allowed to classify information as confidential. Faced with the prospect of greater secrecy, citizens and the press initiated a pressure campaign which ultimately resulted in the decree’s overwhelming failure in Congress ( BRESCIANI, 2019BRESCIANI , E. Câmara aprova urgência de projeto para revogar decreto do governo sobre sigilo de documentos . O Globo , Brasília , 19 Feb . 2019 . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/camara-aprova-urgencia-de-projeto-para-revogar-decreto-do-governo-sobre-sigilo-de-documentos-23464190 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/camara-a...
). This event became part of a pattern of attacks on transparency by the Bolsonaro administration that would eventually end up in failure. Two additional cases stand out as part of this pattern. In the first, the Supreme Court limited the scope of a presidential decree (9.759/2019) that opposed the continuation of constitutionally-mandated citizen councils in the federal government. In the second case, the Supreme Court struck down an executive order ( Medida Provisória 928/2020) that effectively suspended the legal obligation to respond to FOI requests during the coronavirus pandemic.

After failing to limit the FOI law itself, blackouts—that is, the failure to provide information generally regarded as public—became the administration’s tactic of choice. From the very beginning, Bolsonaro refused to provide logs of visitors to the presidential palace ( AMADO, 2019AMADO , G. Governo Bolsonaro decreta sigilo sobre visitas no Palácio da Alvorada . Época , Brasília , 28 Aug . 2019 . Available at: https://epoca.globo.com/guilherme-amado/governo-bolsonaro-decreta-sigilo-sobre-visitas-no-palacio-da-alvorada-23909255 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://epoca.globo.com/guilherme-amado/...
). Blackouts were also used to obscure aspects of the pension reform ( DRUMMOND, 2019DRUMMOND , C. Pesquisadores descobrem trapaça do governo em cálculos da reforma da Previdência . Carta Capital , 17 Sep . 2019 . Available at: https://www.cartacapital.com.br/economia/pesquisadores-descobrem-trapaca-do-governo-em-calculos-da-reforma-da-previdencia . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.cartacapital.com.br/economia...
), the Foreign Service’s policies on gender ( SOUZA, 2019SOUZA , R. Itamaraty trata como “sigilosos” documentos sobre ideologia de gênero . Correio Braziliense , Brasília , 10 Sep . 2019 . Available at: https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/app/noticia/brasil/2019/09/10/interna-brasil,781601/itamaraty-trata-como-sigilosos-documentos-sobre-ideologia-de-genero.shtml . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/ap...
), the workings of Bolsa Familia (PIRES, 2020a), and police violence ( PAGNAN, 2020PAGNAN , R. Governo Bolsonaro exclui violência policial de relatório sobre violações de direitos humanos . Folha de São Paulo , São Paulo , 12 Jun . 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/2020/06/governo-bolsonaro-exclui-violencia-policial-de-relatorio-sobre-violacoes-de-direitos-humanos.shtml . Accessed on: 8 Oct. 2020 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/...
), among other issues.

The Bolsonaro administration also refused to release studies on the effects of hydroxychloroquine, a drug touted in some corners as a treatment for patients with COVID-19 ( PRAZERES, 2020PRAZERES , L. Governo nega acesso a estudos que basearam orientação para usar cloroquina em pacientes leves da Covid-19 . O Globo , Brasília , 19 June 2020 . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/governo-nega-acesso-estudos-que-basearam-orientacao-para-usar-cloroquina-em-pacientes-leves-da-covid-19-1-24488755 . Accessed on: 10 Oct. 2020 .
https://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/gover...
). Moreover, the Bolsonaro administration first restricted, then blacked out, and finally released data on the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths ( LOPES and ONOFRE, 2020LOPES , R. ; ONOFRE , R. Gestão Bolsonaro acumula ao menos 13 medidas para reduzir transparência oficial . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 21 Jun . 21 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/06/gestao-bolsonaro-acumula-ao-menos-13-medidas-para-reduzir-transparencia-oficial.shtml . Accessed on: 20 Nov. 2020 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
). In line with this last example, most blackouts were temporary affairs; however, disclosure delayed is often disclosure denied. For example, the government declared studies on pension reform “restricted” ( FABRINI and CARAM, 2019FABRINI , F. ; CARAM , B. Governo decreta sigilo sobre estudos que embasam reforma da Previdência . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 21 Apr . 2019 . Available at: https://www.folha.uol.com.br/mercado/2019/04/governo-decreta-sigilo-sobre-estudos-que-embasam-reforma-da-previdencia.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.folha.uol.com.br/mercado/201...
), disclosing them only after the desired legislation had been enacted. 19 19 Researchers from UNICAMP university later alleged that data used for these studies had been fabricated ( DRUMMOND, 2019 ).

Delaying disclosure through blackouts seems to betray a general disdain for information and those who work to disseminate it. The President’s hostility towards the press is reflected in Brazil’s significant drop in press freedom rankings ( PERRASOLO, 2020PERRASOLO , J. Brasil cai em ranking mundial de liberdade de imprensa pelo 2° ano seguido . Folha de S.Paulo , São Paulo , 21 Apr . 21 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mundo/2020/04/brasil-cai-em-ranking-mundial-de-liberdade-de-imprensa-pelo-20-ano-seguido.shtml . Accessed on: 20 Sep. 2020 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mundo/2020...
). In addition, the President has reserved some of his fiercest criticism for government agencies that report on levels of deforestation and unemployment, among other issues. Accordingly, the administration has slashed funding for the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE) ( VEJA, 2019VEJA . IBGE vai cortar 25% do orçamento e revisar metodologia do Censo . Veja , Rio de Janeiro , 9 Apr . 2019 . Available at: https://veja.abril.com.br/economia/ibge-vai-cortar-25-do-orcamento-e-revisar-metodologia-do-censo/ . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://veja.abril.com.br/economia/ibge-...
) as well as the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) ( DANTAS, 2019DANTAS , D. Ibama corta 22% das ações de fiscalização previstas . O Globo , São Paulo , 10 Sep . 2019 . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/ibama-corta-22-das-acoes-de-fiscalizacao-previstas-23937584 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/ibama...
), both important disseminators of statistics on socioeconomic and environmental trends, respectively.

Still, in spite of everything described thus far, there have been some advances on the transparency front. In particular, the FOI law has been extended to cover a set of quasi-public corporativist service providers known as the Sistema-S ( COSTA and ORDOÑEZ, 2018COSTA , D. ; ORDOÑEZ , R. “Tem que meter a faca no Sistema S”, diz Paulo Guedes . O Globo , Rio de Janeiro , 17 Dec . 2018 . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/economia/tem-que-meter-faca-no-sistema-diz-paulo-guedes-23311287 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://oglobo.globo.com/economia/tem-qu...
). As a result, a large tranche of public funding (over USD 30 billion) which finances myriad organizations and activities, from business incubators to centers for skills training, has been opened to public scrutiny.

Additional evidence that the handling of transparency during the Bolsonaro era is not altogether negative is found in FOI data afforded by the Office of the Comptroller General (CONTROLADORIA GERAL DA UNIÃO, 2020CONTROLADORIA-GERAL DA UNIÃO . Painel Lei de Acesso À Informação Pública . Brasília, DF : Controladoria Geral da União , 2020 . Available at: http://paineis.cgu.gov.br/lai/index.htm . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
http://paineis.cgu.gov.br/lai/index.htm...
). Figure 2 shows annual trends in the number of requests and the celerity of response time (i.e., number of days) since the law took effect in 2012. In 2019, the number of FOI requests increased and response time decreased, both wholly consistent with annual trends. The percentage of FOI requests receiving denials, responses, or differential levels of “user satisfaction” have remained statistically indistinguishable from the annual combined averages of 2012 to 2018.

FIGURE 2
– REQUESTS OVER FOI X AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME BY FEDERAL AGENCIES (2012-2019)

Something similar is true for appeals ( CONTROLADORIA-GERAL DA UNIÃO, 2020CONTROLADORIA-GERAL DA UNIÃO . Painel Lei de Acesso À Informação Pública . Brasília, DF : Controladoria Geral da União , 2020 . Available at: http://paineis.cgu.gov.br/lai/index.htm . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
http://paineis.cgu.gov.br/lai/index.htm...
). In effect, there are improvements in the handling of appeals, particularly in terms of CGU decisions that side with requesters. There is also a reduction in the number of appeals resolved due to holdout strategies 20 20 By “holdout strategies,” we refer to the extended push and pull that occurs when a government agency refuses to answer a FOI request and the denial is appealed. by government agencies (MICHENER, SCHWAITZER and CUNHA FILHO, 2020). Although little is known regarding the quality of responses to requests, these statistics could speak favorably of the Bolsonaro administration.

However, given the number of transgressions perpetrated against transparency under Bolsonaro, it would be hard to infer that the aforementioned advances are due to positive leadership from the Palácio do Planalto. Moreover, the above data only extend to 2020, and criticisms of Bolsonaro’s approach to transparency have seemingly increased since the onset of the pandemic. A better indication of consistent or even improved FOI performance might evaluate the internalization and embeddedness of information access practices within the federal administration, the stewardship of the CGU, or even a certain amount of “deep state” bureaucratic activism against the presidency ( MICHENER, 2015MICHENER , G. How Cabinet Size and Legislative Control Shape the Strength of Transparency Laws . Governance , v. 28 , n. 1 , p. 77 – 94 , 2015 . Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12075 . Accessed on: 2 Feb. 2021 .
https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12075...
, p. 85). These questions require further research, but at least this much seems true: Brazil’s federal FOI regime appears to be relatively resilient vis-à-vis Bolsonaro’s attacks on transparency.

2.2. PROMISE TO SUPPORT THE LAVA JATO TASK FORCE

The systematic manner in which President Bolsonaro has challenged transparency is problematic. That said, Bolsonaro’s actions regarding transparency are insufficient grounds on which to conclude that he has failed his anticorruption mandate. It is important to track his progress on other relevant promises made during the 2018 campaign season, including his promise regarding the Lava Jato Task Force.

Candidate Jair Bolsonaro assured Brazilian voters that he would support the Task Force. 21 21 Jair Bolsonaro’s original statement on the Lava Jato Task Force was made on Twitter (BOLSONARO, 2018b). The statement reads as follows: “Apoiar a Lava Jato é fundamental no combate à corrupção no Brasil. O fim da impunidade é uma das frentes que estanca o problema, outra é atacar a corrupção na sua raiz, pondo fim nas indicações políticas do governo em troca de apoio. Nós temos a independência necessária para tal!” See Table 3 for more information. This is significant because—as was first hinted at in Section 1.2—the Task Force was recognized to have led an effective investigation into grand corruption (TI, 2016; ALLARD PRIZE, 2017ALLARD PRIZE . Car Wash Task Force (Força Tarefa da Lava Jato) . Allard Prize for International Integrity , Vancouver , 2017 . Available at: https://www.allardprize.org/recipient-and-honourable-mentions/car-wash-task-force-forca-tarefa-da-lava-jato . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.allardprize.org/recipient-an...
). As part of Operação Lava Jato , the Task Force managed to make 295 arrests, secure 278 convictions, and recover approximately USD 803 million in lost assets ( MPF, 2021MPF . Lava Jato passa a integrar o Grupo de Ação Especial de Combate ao Crime Organizado no Paraná . Ministério Público Federal , Paraná , 3 Feb . 2021 . Available at: www.mpf.mp.br/pr/sala-de-imprensa/noticias-pr/lava-jato-passa-a-integrar-o-gaeco-no-parana . Accessed on: 15 Apr. 2021 .
www.mpf.mp.br/pr/sala-de-imprensa/notici...
). As a result, supporting the Task Force was arguably a way to support the fight against corruption in Brazil. However, President Jair Bolsonaro’s decision to nominate Augusto Aras to serve as Chief General Prosecutor began a series of events that ultimately jeopardized the Task Force. 22 22 Aras, who holds a Ph.D. in Constitutional Law from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, is the son of a former legislator and a long-time member of the Federal Prosecution Service ( CORREIO DA BAHIA, 2019 ).

In 2019, when President Jair Bolsonaro had the opportunity to appoint a new Chief General Prosecutor to head the MPU, he broke with precedent by ignoring the list of nominees put forth by the Association of National Prosecutors ( CONSULTOR JURÍDICO, 2019CONSULTOR JURÍDICO . Em setembro, Bolsonaro quebrou tradição e nomeou PGR fora da lista tríplice . Consultor Jurídico , São Paulo , 30 Dec . 2019 . Available at: https://www.conjur.com.br/2019-dez-30/setembro-bolsonaro-quebrou-tradicao-nomeou-pgr-fora-lista . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.conjur.com.br/2019-dez-30/se...
). 23 23 See our brief discussion of the lista tríplice in Section 1.7. Notably, these nominees had offered to support the Task Force ( BARBOSA, 2019BARBOSA , B. Lava Jato, Greenfield e Zelotes defendem lista tríplice para reconduzir PGR . UOL , São Paulo , 5 June 2019 . Available at: https://noticias.uol.com.br/politica/ultimas-noticias/2019/06/05/lava-jato-greenfield-e-zelotes-declaram-apoio-a-lista-triplice-para-pgr.htm . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://noticias.uol.com.br/politica/ult...
; MPF, 2019MPF . Forças-tarefas da Lava Jato, Greenfield e Zelotes destacam importância da lista tríplice na escolha de novo PGR . Ministério Público Federal , Paraná , 5 Jun . 2019 . Available at: http://www.mpf.mp.br/pr/sala-de-imprensa/noticias-pr/forcas-tarefas-da-lava-jato-greenfield-e-zelotes-destacam-importancia-da-lista-triplice-na-escolha-de-novo-pgr . Accessed on: 12 Dec. 2020 .
http://www.mpf.mp.br/pr/sala-de-imprensa...
). In contrast, Bolsonaro’s preferred candidate—i.e., Aras—had actually been critical of the Task Force. Aras had argued that the Task Force had attracted too much attention to itself and needed some correcting (CARVALHO and DELLA COLETTA, 2019a; TALENTO, 2019TALENTO , A. Cotado para PGR, Aras afirma que Lava-Jato tem “desvios a serem corrigidos” . O Globo , Brasília , 12 Aug . 2019 . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/cotado-para-pgr-aras-afirma-que-lava-jato-tem-desvios-serem-corrigidos-23872644 . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/cotado-p...
). 24 24 In July 2020, Aras said, “It is time to correct the course so that lavajatismo does not endure” (authors’ translation). The original statement in Portuguese was: “É hora de corrigir rumos para que o lavajatismo não perdure” ( VENAGLIA and LIMA, 2020 ).

After assuming the role of Chief General Prosecutor, Aras began to take actions that seemingly interfered with the Task Force. For one, Aras required that the Task Force share all of its case information—including classified information—with his office ( ROCHA, 2020ROCHA , M. Aras afirma que Lava Jato em Curitiba é “caixa de segredos” . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 28 July 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/07/aras-afirma-que-lava-jato-em-curitiba-e-caixa-de-segredos.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Oct. 2020 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
). When Deltan Dallagnol, as head of the Task Force, rejected Aras’s blanket request for information, Aras began to criticize the Task Force publicly ( ROCHA, 2020ROCHA , M. Aras afirma que Lava Jato em Curitiba é “caixa de segredos” . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 28 July 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/07/aras-afirma-que-lava-jato-em-curitiba-e-caixa-de-segredos.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Oct. 2020 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
). 25 25 Around this time, some of Aras’s close associates also began questioning the appropriateness of the Task Force model (PIRES, 2020d). Aras even asked the Supreme Court to order that the Task Force transfer all case information to his office ( FABRINI and TEIXEIRA, 2020FABRINI , F. ; TEIXEIRA , M. Toffoli obriga Lava Jato a compartilhar todos os dados com a PGR . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 9 July 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/07/toffoli-obriga-lava-jato-a-compartilhar-todos-os-dados-com-a-pgr.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
). Then, Aras took matters a step further—he sought to dismantle the Task Force (PIRES, 2020b). Ultimately, when Chief General Prosecutor Augusto Aras officially moved to end the Lava Jato Task Force on February 1, 2021, President Jair Bolsonaro offered no opposition. 26 26 Now that the Lava Jato Task Force has been terminated, it appears as though some of its prosecutors will be transferred to the recently created Special Group Combating Organized Crime (in Portuguese, Grupo de Atuação Especial de Combate ao Crime Organizado or Gaeco). Gaeco will work within the Federal Prosecution Service in the state of Paraná ( MPF, 2021 ; BRITO and SLATTERY, 2021 ).

To be clear, our sense is that there was room to improve the Task Force. Indeed, even as we acknowledge that the Task Force enjoyed widespread popularity as recently as October 2020 ( CNT/MDA, 2020CNT/MDA . Pesquisa CNT de Opinião 2020 , Rodada 147 . Brasília, DF : CNT/MDA , 2020 . Available at: https://cdn.cnt.org.br/diretorioVirtualPrd/31867232-a15a-448e-b064-b538a34f9256.pdf . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://cdn.cnt.org.br/diretorioVirtualP...
p. 25; FUZEIRA, 2020FUZEIRA , V. Lava Jato: 84% dos brasileiros defendem continuidade da operação . Metrópoles , Brasília , 26 Oct . 2020 . Available at: https://www.metropoles.com/brasil/lava-jato-84-dos-brasileiros-defendem-continuidade-da-operacao . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.metropoles.com/brasil/lava-j...
), adopting certain improvements to its approach seemed reasonable. 27 27 For a discussion of some of the issues with how Operação Lava Jato was carried out, see: CAMPELLO et al. (2020), and GANLEY and LAGUNES (2020b). We also recognize that, because Operação Lava Jato was bound to end at some point, the question of what to do with the Task Force was destined to come up sooner or later ( BULLOCK and STEPHENSON, 2020BULLOCK , J. ; STEPHENSON , M. How Should Lava Jato End? In: LAGUNES , P. ; SVEJNAR , J. ( ed .) . Corruption and the Lava Jato Scandal in Latin America . New York : Routledge , 2020 . ). Still, there are reasons to take issue with the particular manner in which Augusto Aras handled the Task Force ( LEITÃO, 2020LEITÃO , M. A corrupção sempre presente . O Globo , Rio de Janeiro , 16 Oct . 16 2020 . Available at: https://blogs.oglobo.globo.com/miriam-leitao/post/corrupcao-sempre-presente.html . Accessed on: 13 Dec. 2020 .
https://blogs.oglobo.globo.com/miriam-le...
; MENDES, 2021MENDES , C. H. Aras é a antessala de Bolsonaro no Tribunal Penal Internacional . Folha de S.Paulo , São Paulo , 26 Jan . 2021 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/amp/colunas/conrado-hubner-mendes/2021/01/aras-e-a-antessala-de-bolsonaro-no-tribunal-penal-internacional.shtml . Accessed on: 10 Feb. 2021 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/amp/coluna...
). It is similarly concerning to learn that President Jair Bolsonaro claimed to have ended Lava Jato because there was no more corruption in Brazil ( ROCHA DE BARROS, 2020ROCHA DE BARROS , C. How Lava Jato Died – and What Comes Next . Americas Quarterly , Rio de Janeiro , 15 Oct . 2020 . Available at: https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/how-lava-jato-died-and-what-comes-next/ . Accessed on: 17 Oct. 2020 .
https://www.americasquarterly.org/articl...
). In his words, “I ended [Lava Jato] because there is no more corruption in the government” ( FAGUNDES, 2020FAGUNDES , M. Bolsonaro Says Brazil Is Corruption-Free, Ends Carwash Probe . Bloomberg , 7 Oct . 2020 . Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-07/bolsonaro-declares-brazil-corruption-free-and-ends-carwash-probe . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...
). 28 28 In Portuguese, the original statement reads as follows: “Eu acabei com a Lava Jato porque não tem mais corrupção no governo” (DELLA COLETTA, CARVALHO and URIBE, 2020).

Setting Bolsonaro’s misleading statement about Lava Jato to one side, it is worth pointing out that his impact on the Task Force was not solely through his selection of Augusto Aras as Chief General Prosecutor. Bolsonaro was also responsible for choosing leaders in Congress who sought to undermine the Lava Jato Task Force by attempting to limit the powers of prosecutors ( SOARES and PIRES, 2020SOARES , J. ; PIRES , B. Saiba quem é Ricardo Barros, ex-ministro de Temer e novo líder de Bolsonaro na Câmara . O Estado de S. Paulo , Brasília , 12 Aug . 2020 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,saiba-quem-e-ricardo-barros-ex-ministro-de-temer-e-novo-lider-de-bolsonaro-na-camara,70003397329 . Accessed on: 10 Oct. 2020 .
https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias...
; PIRES and TURTELLI, 2020PIRES , B. ; TURTELLI , C. Líder do governo Bolsonaro se alia a petista para abrandar lei de improbidade . O Estado de S. Paulo , Brasília , 23 Sep . 2020 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,lider-do-governo-bolsonaro-se-alia-a-petista-para-abrandar-lei-de-improbidade,70003449813 . Accessed on: 7 Dec. 2020 .
https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias...
).

All things considered, it cannot be said that Bolsonaro followed through with his promise to support the Lava Jato Task Force. 29 29 A clarifying statement is in order. As far as we can tell, Jair Bolsonaro never openly criticized the Lava Jato Task Force. However, his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, did express support for Aras’s actions against the Task Force ( CAPELLI and PRADO, 2020 ). Instead, Bolsonaro’s shifting position on Lava Jato has seemingly been driven by political convenience ( BOGHOSSIAN, 2020BOGHOSSIAN , B. Conveniência política dita relação entre Bolsonaro e a Lava Jato . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 7 Oct . 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/colunas/bruno-boghossian/2020/10/conveniencia-politica-dita-relacao-entre-bolsonaro-e-a-lava-jato.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/colunas/br...
).

2.3. PROMISE TO DEFEND CORRUPTION-FIGHTING INSTITUTIONS

While running for president in 2018, Jair Bolsonaro signaled his commitment to support not only the Lava Jato Task Force, but also the other institutions that have participated in the fight against corruption. 30 30 Jair Bolsonaro’s original statement about Brazil’s accountability institutions was included in his official government plan (BOLSONARO, 2018a). The statement reads as follows: “Desafios urgentes: Corrupção generalizada e ameaças às instituições que a estão combatendo.” See Table 3 for additional information. This is of consequence considering that much of the recent progress that Brazil has made in promoting government integrity can be attributed precisely to these institutions (e.g., ARANHA, 2020ARANHA , A. L. Lava Jato and Brazil’s Web of Accountability Institutions: A Turning Point for Corruption Control? In: LAGUNES , P. ; SVEJNAR , J. ( ed .) . Corruption and the Lava Jato Scandal in Latin America . New York : Routledge , 2020 . ). However, since Bolsonaro took office, many of these institutions have been weakened or subjected to considerable stress. 31 31 See Sections 1.5 and 1.7 for a reminder of some of these institutions’ basic functions.

For instance, during the first year of Bolsonaro’s administration, the COAF was relocated several times. First, the financial intelligence unit was granted additional funds and staff when it was placed within the Ministry of Justice. 32 32 The COAF’s staff increased from thirty-seven to fifty-six ( PIRES, 2019 ). But around the time it was revealed that the COAF was investigating allegations against President Bolsonaro’s eldest son, the agency was moved to the Ministry of Economy and then to the Central Bank ( MATAIS, 2019MATAIS , A. Bolsonaro diz não se opor a tirar o Coaf de Moro e devolver para Ministério da Economia . O Estado de S. Paulo , Brasília , 25 Apr . 2019 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,bolsonaro-diz-nao-se-opor-em-tirar-o-coaf-de-moro-e-devolver-para-ministerio-da-economia,70002804011 Accessed on: 2 Dec. 2020 .
https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias...
; PORTINARI, 2019PORTINARI , N. Planalto admite retirar Coaf de Moro, diz relator . O Globo , Brasília , 6 May 2019 . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/planalto-admite-retirar-coaf-de-moro-diz-relator-23643679 . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/planalto...
; SIMON and SWEIGART, 2020SIMON , R. ; SWEIGART , E. The Risky Politics of Anti-Money Laundering . Americas Quarterly , 27 Apr . 2020 . Available at: https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/the-risky-politics-of-anti-money-laundering . Accessed on: 10 Oct. 2020 .
https://www.americasquarterly.org/articl...
). 33 33 In November 4, 2020, Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Flávio Bolsonaro, was formally charged with embezzlement and money laundering in a scheme involving staff members at his former legislative office in the Rio de Janeiro State Assembly ( LONDOÑO, 2020 ). As of this writing, there are still charges pending against Flávio Bolsonaro ( SACONI, 2021 ; SCHREIBER, 2021 ). Notably, President Bolsonaro also removed the head of the COAF ( SIMON, 2019SIMON , R. Bolsonaro’s Siege Against Law Enforcement Agencies . Americas Quarterly , 12 Sep . 2019 . Available at: https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/bolsonaros-siege-against-law-enforcement-agencies . Accessed on: 10 Oct. 2020 .
https://www.americasquarterly.org/articl...
; SIMON and SWEIGART, 2020SIMON , R. ; SWEIGART , E. The Risky Politics of Anti-Money Laundering . Americas Quarterly , 27 Apr . 2020 . Available at: https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/the-risky-politics-of-anti-money-laundering . Accessed on: 10 Oct. 2020 .
https://www.americasquarterly.org/articl...
). 34 34 Given the number of disruptive changes affecting the COAF, there were many who voiced concern ( DIANNI, 2019 ; SIMON, 2019 ; HARRIS, 2020 ).

Next, it is worth examining events surrounding the Federal Revenue Service and the Federal Police. Regarding the former, Bolsonaro criticized the agency for what he claimed was the targeting of his relatives (PIRES, FERNANDES and MONTEIRO, 2019). Bolsonaro also ordered the dismissal of key officials within the Federal Revenue Service (PIRES, FERNANDES and MONTEIRO, 2019; SOARES, 2020SOARES , P. R. Auditor citado pela defesa de Flávio Bolsonaro é exonerado da chefia da Corregedoria da Receita Federal no Rio . Jornal Hoje , Brasília , 5 Dec . 2020 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/rj/rio-de-janeiro/noticia/2020/12/05/auditor-citado-pela-defesa-de-flavio-bolsonaro-e-exonerado-da-chefia-da-corregedoria-da-receita-federal-no-rio.ghtm . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2021 .
https://g1.globo.com/rj/rio-de-janeiro/n...
). With regards to the Federal Police, President Bolsonaro is accused of jeopardizing the agency’s autonomy after apparently forcing the removal of key officials and even firing Maurício Valeixo, then head of the agency (LONDOÑO, CASADO and ANDREONI, 2020a; RICHTER, 2020RICHTER , A. Top Court Opens Inquiry into Moro’s Allegations against Bolsonaro . Agência Brasil , Brasília , 28 Apr . 2020 . Available at: https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/justica/noticia/2020-04/top-court-opens-inquiry-moros-allegations-against-bolsonaro . Accessed on: 30 May 2020 .
https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/just...
). 35 35 Valeixo’s removal is the particular event that seems to have caused Sérgio Moro to resign from his position as Bolsonaro’s Minister of Justice (LONDOÑO, CASADO and ANDREONI, 2020a).

In addition to threatening the autonomy of specific agencies, Bolsonaro participated in public demonstrations wherein protestors demanded the closing of both the Supreme Court and Congress ( VENCESLAU and LINDNER, 2020VENCESLAU , P. ; LINDNER , J. Discurso de Bolsonaro “incentiva desobediência” e é “escalada antidemocrática”, dizem políticos . O Estado de S. Paulo , São Paulo , 19 Apr . 2020 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,discurso-de-bolsonaro-incentiva-desobediencia-e-e-escalada-antidemocratica-dizem-politicos,70003276430 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias...
; FREITAS, 2020FREITAS , T. Maskless Bolsonaro Joins Protesters Against Congress, Court . Bloomberg , 31 May 2020 . Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-31/bolsonaro-joins-protesters-against-congress-and-supreme-court . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...
).

Taken together, the evidence suggests that President Bolsonaro has not only failed to protect a number of Brazil’s key institutions of accountability, but also directly and indirectly contributed to making them more vulnerable ( AVRITZER, 2020AVRITZER , L. Política e antipolítica: a crise do governo Bolsonaro . São Paulo : Todavia , 2020 . ; NOBRE, 2020NOBRE , M. Ponto-Final: A Guerra de Bolsonaro Contra a Democracia . São Paulo : Todavia , 2020 . ).

2.4. PROMISE TO REJECT QUID PRO QUO POLITICS

As a presidential candidate, Jair Bolsonaro promised that, if elected president, he would avoid trading government jobs for political support. 36 36 Jair Bolsonaro’s original statement on the question of political appointments was made on Twitter (BOLSONARO, 2018b). The statement reads as follows: “O fim da impunidade é uma das frentes que estanca o problema, outra é atacar a corrupção na sua raiz, pondo fim nas indicações políticas do governo em troca de apoio. Nós temos a independência necessária para tal!” See Table 3 for more information. It was a rejection of what he referred to as “old politics” ( ROSE-ACKERMAN and PIMENTA, 2020ROSE-ACKERMAN , S. ; PIMENTA , R. M. Corruption in Brazil: Beyond Criminal Law . In: LAGUNES , P. ; SVEJNAR , J. ( ed .) . Corruption and the Lava Jato Scandal in Latin America . New York : Routledge , 2020 . , p. 205). As he saw it, political appointments nurtured inefficiency and corruption. 37 37 To quote Bolsonaro, “As indicações políticas levam à ineficiência do Estado e à corrupção” ( JORNAL NACIONAL, 2018 ). And, in fact, there is some research to support this view (e.g., RAUCH and EVANS, 2000RAUCH , J. E. ; EVANS , P. B. Bureaucratic Structure and Bureaucratic Performance in Less Developed Countries . Journal of Public Economics , v. 75 , n. 1 , p. 49 - 71 , 2000 . Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0047-2727(99)00044-4 . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0047-2727(99)00...
). However, over the course of his administration, Bolsonaro has become closer to legislators from Centrão, a group of center and center-right parties that are said to demand positions in government and other government resources in exchange for their support (BOADLE, 2020a; BRAGON, 2020BRAGON , R. Recém-aliado a Bolsonaro, Centrão é suspeito de usar apoio e cargos para obter propina . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 8 May 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/05/recem-aliado-a-bolsonaro-centrao-e-suspeito-de-usar-apoio-e-cargos-para-obter-propina.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
; LONDOÑO, CASADO and ANDREONI, 2020b).

This shift in political alliances became especially apparent during Bolsonaro’s second year as president. Bolsonaro risked being impeached, so he began to build a political coalition in Congress that could offer him a measure of protection (BOADLE, 2020a; LONDOÑO, CASADO and ANDREONI, 2020b). Allegedly, Bolsonaro’s defense strategy worked as follows: offer positions in the federal government in exchange for support in Congress ( ROSA, 2020ROSA , V. Bolsonaro oferece cargos a partidos em troca de sustentação no Congresso . O Estado de S. Paulo , Brasília , 18 Apr . 2020 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,bolsonaro-oferece-cargos-a-partidos-em-troca-de-sustentacao-no-congresso,70003275787 . Accessed on: 10 Feb. 2021 .
https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias...
). By June of 2020, at least seventeen government posts are said to have been granted to members of Centrão and their allies ( PODER360, 2020PODER360 . Centrão ganhou ao menos 17 cargos depois de aproximação com Bolsonaro . Poder360 , Brasília , 19 June 2020 . Available at: https://www.poder360.com.br/infograficos/centrao-ganhou-ao-menos-17-cargos-depois-de-aproximacao-com-bolsonaro . Accessed on: 10 Oct. 2020 .
https://www.poder360.com.br/infograficos...
).

What is more, the coalition in Congress that Bolsonaro built relied on legislators suspected of corruption in Lava Jato, such as Centrão politicians Ciro Nogueira and Arthur Lira ( FREIRE, 2019FREIRE , S. 2ª Turma do STF torna líderes do PP réus por organização criminosa . Poder360 , Brasília , 11 June 2019 . Available at: https://www.poder360.com.br/lava-jato/2a-turma-do-stf-torna-lideres-do-pp-reus-por-organizacao-criminosa . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.poder360.com.br/lava-jato/2a...
; BRAGON, 2020BRAGON , R. Recém-aliado a Bolsonaro, Centrão é suspeito de usar apoio e cargos para obter propina . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 8 May 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/05/recem-aliado-a-bolsonaro-centrao-e-suspeito-de-usar-apoio-e-cargos-para-obter-propina.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
; D’AGOSTINO, 2020D’AGOSTINO , R. Maioria da 1ª Turma do STF rejeita recurso de Arthur Lira, acusado de corrupção; decisão é adiada . G1 , Brasília , 24 Nov . 2020 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2020/11/24/maioria-na-1a-turma-do-stf-vota-contra-recurso-de-arthur-lira-sobre-denuncia-decisao-e-adiada.ghtml . Accessed on: 30 Nov. 2020 .
https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/20...
; TEIXEIRA, 2020TEIXEIRA , M. STF forma maioria para manter réu líder do Centrão acusado de corrupção passiva . Folha de S. Paulo , Brasília , 24 Nov . 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/11/stf-forma-maioria-para-manter-lider-do-centrao-reu-acusado-de-corrupcao-passiva.shtml . Accessed on: 10 Oct. 2020 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
). 38 38 Both members of the Progressistas party, Ciro Nogueira and Arthur Lira are—as of this writing—defendants in a Lava Jato case. They are accused of forming a criminal organization with other congressmen to embezzle money from Petrobras ( FREIRE, 2019 ; D’AGOSTINO and OLIVEIRA, 2019 ; BRAGON, 2020 ). However, in March 2021, these charges were dismissed by the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court ( TEIXEIRA, 2021 ; MOURA, 2021 ). Notably, Arthur Lira is also a defendant in another Lava Jato corruption case. He is accused of taking bribes in exchange for sustaining the nomination of the president of a state company ( D’AGOSTINO and OLIVEIRA, 2019 ; AMORIM, 2020). Lira, in particular, was elected to serve as speaker of the lower house of Congress after the Bolsonaro administration lent him much-needed support. In particular, the Bolsonaro administration is accused of offering a number of legislators financial resources for their home states and government jobs for their political allies in exchange for supporting Lira ( FRAZÃO, 2020FRAZÃO , F. Ramos articula apoio a Lira e oferece emendas . O Estado de S. Paulo , Brasília , 11 Dec . 2020 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,ramos-articula-apoio-a-lira-e-oferece-emendas,70003547903 . Accessed on: 7 Feb. 2021 .
https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias...
; RESENDE, CHAIB and CARNEIRO, 2020; CHAIB, URIBE and RESENDE, 2020; PIRES and CAMPOREZ, 2021a; PIRES and CAMPOREZ, 2021b). As one journalist points out, Lira’s victory in Congress gave Jair Bolsonaro “a base among center-right politicians with whom he had once vowed never to ally” ( BOADLE, 2021BOADLE , A. Bolsonaro allies win control of Brazilian Congress . Reuters , Brasília , 1 Feb . 2021 . Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-politics/bolsonaro-allies-win-control-of-brazilian-congress-idUSKBN2A12WY?il=0 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazi...
).

On a somewhat related note, a number of Bolsonaro’s former political allies claim that the president attempted to buy political support for his son’s bid to serve as ambassador to the United States ( CLAVERY and VIVAS, 2019CLAVERY , E. ; VIVAS , F. Líder do PSL diz que Bolsonaro tentou comprar deputados com cargos para beneficiar o filho . G1 , Brasília , 18 Oct . 2019 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2019/10/18/lider-do-psl-diz-que-bolsonaro-tentou-comprar-deputados-com-cargos-para-beneficiar-o-filho.ghtml . Accessed on: 10 Dec. 2020 .
https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/20...
). Even if Bolsonaro’s approach to securing legislative support seems technically legal, the Brazilian term toma lá dá cá comes to mind ( CAMAROTTI, 2020CAMAROTTI , G. No momento em que Bolsonaro intensifica ‘toma-lá-dá-cá’ com Centrão, avaliação do Congresso piora . G1 , Brasília , 17 Aug . 2020 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/politica/blog/gerson-camarotti/post/2020/08/17/no-momento-em-que-bolsonaro-intensifica-toma-la-da-ca-com-centrao-avaliacao-do-congresso-piora.ghtml . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2021 .
https://g1.globo.com/politica/blog/gerso...
). This is an expression referring to quid pro quo—precisely the sort of political dealing that Bolsonaro originally promised he would avoid.

2.5. PROMISE TO FIRE COLLABORATORS SUSPECTED OF CORRUPTION

Candidate Bolsonaro also promised to fire any cabinet minister or ministers accused of corruption. 39 39 Jair Bolsonaro’s original statement on this matter reads as follows: “Havendo qualquer comprovação ou denúncia robusta contra quem quer que seja e que esteja ao alcance da minha caneta Bic, ela será usada” (MONTEIRO, LINDNER and LIMA, 2018). See Table 4 for more information. TABLE 4 – CANDIDATE JAIR BOLSONARO’S PROMISES TO FIGHT CORRUPTION (PART 2 OF 2) TOPIC SUBTOPIC DATE TRANSLATED QUOTE⍴ NOTABLE ACTIONS OR OMISSIONS RELATING TO THE CAMPAIGN PROMISE MERIT-BASED APPOINTMENTS & DISMISSALS FIRING MINISTERS SUSPECTED OF CORRUPTION DECEMBER 2018 (SOON AFTER BEING ELECTED PRESIDENT) “IF THERE IS ANY EVIDENCE OR STRONG CLAIM AGAINST ANYONE WHO IS WITHIN [MY PEN’S] REACH, I WILL USE IT.”1 IN SPITE OF HIS PROMISE TO BUILD A TEAM OF COLLABORATORS WHO ARE BEYOND REPROACH, ONE OF PRESIDENT JAIR BOLSONARO’S FIRST MINISTERIAL APPOINTMENTS WENT TO ONYX LORENZONI, WHO LATER CONFESSED TO HAVING RECEIVED ILLEGAL FUNDS FROM THE LARGE MEAT PROCESSING COMPANY JBS. RELEVANT LEGISLATION TEN MEASURES AGAINST CORRUPTION AUGUST 14, 2018 (TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTIONS) “WE WILL RESCUE ‘THE TEN MEASURES AGAINST CORRUPTION’, PROPOSED BY THE FEDERAL PROSECUTION SERVICE, AND SUPPORTED BY MILLIONS OF BRAZILIANS, AND SEND IT TO CONGRESS FOR APPROVAL.”2 JAIR BOLSONARO FAILED TO USE HIS INFLUENCE AS PRESIDENT TO SUPPORT THE TEN MEASURES AGAINST CORRUPTION IN CONGRESS. HE ALSO FAILED TO SUPPORT SÉRGIO MORO’S ANTI-CRIME LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL, WHICH WAS THOUGHT TO SUPPLANT THE TEN MEASURES. RELEVANT LEGISLATION LIMITING THE ABILITY OF PRESUMPTIVE CRIMINALS TO DELAY JUSTICE MARCH 29, 2018 (SEVEN MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTIONS) “THE IMPRISONMENT MUST HAPPEN [AFTER THE CRIMINAL SENTENCE IS UPHELD] IN THE SECOND INSTANCE.”3 PRESIDENT JAIR BOLSONARO DID NOT USE HIS POLITICAL INFLUENCE TO ENSURE THAT THIS MEASURE RECEIVED THE SUPPORT IT NEEDED IN CONGRESS, EVEN THOUGH HIS THEN-MINISTER OF JUSTICE, SERGIO MORO, INSISTED THAT IT WAS CRITICAL TO THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION IN BRAZIL. RELEVANT LEGISLATION LIMITING POLITICAL IMMUNITY APRIL 27, 2018 (SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTIONS) “I SUPPORT THE END OF THE SPECIAL JURISDICTION….”4 IN SPITE OF WHAT HE PROMISED, AS PRESIDENT, JAIR BOLSONARO HAS NOT PUSHED TO END THE SO-CALLED “FORO PRIVILEGIADO.” ⍴AUTHORS’ TRANSLATION. 1MONTEIRO, LINDER AND LIMA (2018). 2BOLSONARO (2018 A). 3EDUARDO BOLSONARO (2018) . 4INTERATIVA FM GOIÂNIA (2018) . Source: Authors. However, in spite of his promise to rely on a team of collaborators that are beyond reproach, one of President Bolsonaro’s first high-level appointments went to his longtime political ally Onyx Lorenzoni. Prior to being invited to join Bolsonaro’s administration, there were credible allegations that Lorenzoni had received illegal funds—i.e., informal campaign donations—from the meat processing company JBS ( DE LARA, 2018DE LARA , B. The Corruption Cabinet . The Intercept , United States , 9 Dec . 2018 . Available at: https://theintercept.com/2018/12/09/brazil-jair-bolsonaro-cabinet/ . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://theintercept.com/2018/12/09/braz...
; REUTERS, 2018REUTERS . Brazil’s top court approves investigation into Bolsonaro chief of staff . Reuters , Brasília , 4 Dec . 2018 . Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/brazil-politics-lorenzoni-idUSL8N1Y94OM . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.reuters.com/article/brazil-p...
; FABRINI, 2020FABRINI , F. Onyx admite caixa dois da JBS e pagará R$ 189 mil para encerrar investigação . Folha de S.Paulo , 3 Aug . 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/08/onyx-admite-caixa-dois-da-jbs-e-pagara-r-189-mil-para-encerrar-investigacao.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
; PIRES, 2020c). When confronted with these allegations, Lorenzoni publicly admitted that he had, in fact, accepted illegal campaign donations from the company ( MAZUI, 2017MAZUI , G. Deputado Onyx Lorenzoni admite ter recebido dinheiro de caixa 2 da JBS . Rádio Gaúcha , Brasília , 19 May 2017 . Available at: https://gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br/politica/noticia/2017/05/deputado-onyx-lorenzoni-admite-ter-recebido-dinheiro-de-caixa-2-da-jbs-9796726.html . Accessed on: 10 Jul. 2020 .
https://gauchazh.clicrbs.com.br/politica...
). 40 40 Later, in August 2020, Onyx Lorenzoni signed a non-prosecution deal with General Prosecutor Augusto Aras in which he confessed to having received some USD 56,000 in illegal campaign donations ( FABRINI, 2020 ; TALENTO, 2020 ). However, in spite of the questions surrounding Lorenzoni’s reputation, Bolsonaro still chose him to serve as his first chief of staff ( CHAGAS, 2018CHAGAS , P. V. Saiba quem é Onyx Lorenzoni, aliado de primeira hora de Bolsonaro . Agência Brasil , Brasília , 31 Oct . 2018 . Available at: https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politica/noticia/2018-10/saiba-quem-e-onyx-lorenzoni-aliado-de-primeira-hora-de-bolsonaro . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politic...
). 41 41 Bolsonaro eventually removed Onyx Lorenzoni from the position; however, he was then appointed to head the Ministry of Citizenship, and so was not actually expelled from Bolsonaro’s administration (BOADLE, 2020b).

Notably, Lorenzoni is not the only one of Bolsonaro’s political allies whose reputation has been questioned. The case of Marcelo Álvaro Antônio is also worth discussing.

In 2019, the Brazilian Federal Police indicted Álvaro Antônio on charges of corruption and illegal campaign financing ( MATTOSO and BRAGON, 2019MATTOSO , C. ; BRAGON , R. Ministro do Turismo é indiciado pela PF em investigação de esquema de laranjas do PSL . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 4 Oct . 2019 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2019/10/ministro-do-turismo-e-indiciado-pela-pf-em-investigacao-de-esquema-de-laranjas-do-psl.shtml . Accessed on: 5 Jul. 2020 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2019...
; MATTOSO, BRAGON and CANOFRE, 2019). According to the allegations, in 2018, only a few months before Bolsonaro assumed the presidency, Álvaro Antônio embezzled public campaign funds ( MATTOSO and BRAGON, 2019MATTOSO , C. ; BRAGON , R. Ministro do Turismo é indiciado pela PF em investigação de esquema de laranjas do PSL . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 4 Oct . 2019 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2019/10/ministro-do-turismo-e-indiciado-pela-pf-em-investigacao-de-esquema-de-laranjas-do-psl.shtml . Accessed on: 5 Jul. 2020 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2019...
). However, these allegations did not stop Bolsonaro from appointing Álvaro Antônio to head the Ministry of Tourism. Bolsonaro even offered the following statement in an effort to downplay the claims against his political ally: “He [Álvaro Antonio] is not facing a dead end. If [the allegations are] serious […] we will make a decision. He’s doing a brilliant job” (authors’ translation; MONTEIRO and MATAIS, 2019MONTEIRO , T. ; MATAIS , A. “Economia é 100% com o Guedes e não tem plano B”, diz Bolsonaro . O Estado de S. Paulo , Brasília , 5 Oct . 2019 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,economia-e-100-com-o-guedes-e-nao-tem-plano-b-diz-bolsonaro,70003038726 . Accessed on: 18 Sep. 2020 .
https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias...
). 42 42 Bolsonaro’s original sentence in Portuguese: “Ele não chegou ao final da linha. Se for algo de grave, substancioso, a gente toma uma decisão. Ele está fazendo um brilhante trabalho” ( MONTEIRO and MATAIS, 2019 ).

Ultimately, in December 2020, Álvaro Antônio was removed from office. That said, his removal was not in response to the criminal charges against him. Instead, the Brazilian media reports that Álvaro Antônio was removed because of an internal quarrel ( PARAGUASSU, 2020PARAGUASSU , L. Brazil’s Bolsonaro fires tourism minister over quarrel – source . Reuters , Brasília , 9 Dec . 2020 . Available at: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/brazils-bolsonaro-fires-tourism-minister-180702855.html . Accessed on: Feb 8. 2021 .
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/brazils-b...
; ARAÚJO, 2020ARAÚJO , C. Ministro do Turismo acusa Ramos de traição e de querer dar pasta ao Centrão . UOL , Brasília , 9 Dec . 2020 . Available at: https://economia.uol.com.br/colunas/carla-araujo/2020/12/09/ministro-do-turismo-chamou-ramos-de-traira-e-demissao-deve-sair-hoje.htm . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://economia.uol.com.br/colunas/carl...
; GADELHA, 2020GADELHA , I. Bolsonaro decide demitir ministro do Turismo, Marcelo Álvaro Antônio . CNN Brasil , Brasília , 9 Dec . 2020 . Available at: https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/2020/12/09/bolsonaro-deve-demitir-ministro-do-turismo-marcelo-alvaro-antonio . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/20...
; ORTIZ, 2020ORTIZ , D. Mensagem de Álvaro Antônio em grupo de ministros diz que Ramos pediu demissão dele a Bolsonaro . TV Globo , Brasília , 9 Dec . 2020 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2020/12/09/mensagem-de-alvaro-antonio-em-grupo-de-ministros-diz-que-ramos-pediu-demissao-dele-a-bolsonaro.ghtml . Accessed on: 9 Feb. 2021 .
https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/20...
). Beyond these, there is also the case of Fábio Wajngarten, President Bolsonaro’s former press secretary.

In early 2020, Folha de S.Paulo alleged that a company co-owned by Wajngarten was doing business with companies hired by the federal government, thus raising questions of conflicts of interest ( FABRINI and WIZIAK, 2020FABRINI , F. ; WIZIAK , J. Chefe da Secom recebe dinheiro de emissoras e agências contratadas pelo governo Bolsonaro . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 15 Jan . 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/01/chefe-da-secom-recebe-dinheiro-de-emissoras-e-agencias-contratadas-pelo-governo-bolsonaro.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
). Bolsonaro’s response to the allegations, however, was not to remove Wajngarten. Instead, Bolsonaro downplayed the matter. “If it was illegal,” Bolsonaro suggested, “we will see…. But, from what I have seen so far, everything’s legal and will continue. He’s an outstanding figure. If he were crap, like some people out there, no one would be criticizing him” (authors’ translation; FERNANDES, 2020FERNANDES , T. “Se foi ilegal, a gente vê lá na frente”, diz Bolsonaro sobre chefe da Secom . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 16 Jan . 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/01/bolsonaro-ataca-folha-e-diz-que-chefe-da-secom-permanece-no-cargo.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
). 43 43 Bolsonaro’s original quote in Portuguese: “Se foi ilegal, a gente vê lá na frente. Mas, pelo que vi até agora, está tudo legal, vai continuar. Excelente profissional. Se fosse um porcaria, igual alguns que tem por aí, ninguém estaria criticando ele” ( FERNANDES, 2020 ).

In summary, it appears that Bolsonaro has not been as strict with his collaborators as he had promised ( CARVALHO, 2020CARVALHO , D. Bolsonaro diz que dará voadora no pescoço de quem praticar corrupção em seu governo . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 14 Oct . 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/10/bolsonaro-diz-que-dara-voadora-no-pescoco-de-quem-praticar-corrupcao-em-seu-governo.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
). This has led at least one commentator to conclude that Bolsonaro holds a double standard—according to this commentator, the president is only able to acknowledge his opponents’ corruption ( SAKAMOTO, 2020SAKAMOTO , L. Bolsonaro não se importar com “laranjal” de ex-ministro resume seu governo . UOL , São Paulo , 9 Dec . 2020 . Available at: https://noticias.uol.com.br/colunas/leonardo-sakamoto/2020/12/09/bolsonaro-nao-se-abalar-com-laranjal-de-ex-ministro-explica-o-seu-governo.htm . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2021 .
https://noticias.uol.com.br/colunas/leon...
).

2.6. PROMISE TO SUPPORT THE TEN MEASURES AGAINST CORRUPTION

In 2015, as head of the Lava Jato Task Force, Deltan Dallagnol led a movement that sought to pass legal reforms to facilitate prosecution of politicians suspected of corruption ( AYRES, 2016AYRES , C. Ten Measures Proposed by the Brazilian Federal Prosecution Service to Fight Corruption (Part I) . FCPAméricas Blog , Brazil , 30 Dec . 2016 . Available at: http://fcpamericas.com/english/brazil/ten-measures-proposed-brazilian-federal-prosecution-service-fight-corruption-part-i/ . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
http://fcpamericas.com/english/brazil/te...
; BULLOCK and STEPHENSON, 2020BULLOCK , J. ; STEPHENSON , M. How Should Lava Jato End? In: LAGUNES , P. ; SVEJNAR , J. ( ed .) . Corruption and the Lava Jato Scandal in Latin America . New York : Routledge , 2020 . , p. 216). The Ten Measures Against Corruption (or, as it is known in Brazil, Dez Medidas Contra a Corrupção ) embodied that reform effort (see footnote 7).

When seeking the presidency, Jair Bolsonaro promised to support the approval of the Ten Measures. 44 44 Jair Bolsonaro’s original statement about the Ten Measures Against Corruption was included in his official government plan (BOLSONARO, 2018a). The statement reads as follows: “Transparência e Combate à Corrupção são metas inegociáveis. Como pilar deste compromisso, iremos resgatar ‘As Dez Medidas Contra a Corrupção’, propostas pelo Ministério Público Federal e apoiadas por milhões de brasileiros, e encaminhá-las para aprovação no Congresso Nacional.” See Table 4 for more information. However, Bolsonaro failed to use his influence as president to encourage the approval of the Ten Measures ( MATTONI and ODILLA, 2021MATTONI , A. and ODILLA , F. Digital media, activism, and social movements’ outcomes in the policy arena. The case of two anti-corruption mobilizations in Brazil . Working Paper , 2021 . ). Instead, his government proposed broader legislation to fight crime ( CALGARO and PALMA, 2019CALGARO , F. ; PALMA , G. Ministros Moro e Onyx entregam à Câmara dos Deputados pacote anticrime do governo . G1 , Brasília , 19 Feb . 2019 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2019/02/19/moro-e-onyx-entregam-pacote-anticrime-a-camara-dos-deputados.ghtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/20...
; BULLOCK, 2019BULLOCK , J. Proposed Changes in Brazil’s Anticorruption Legislation: A Summary and Critique . The Global Anticorruption Blog , 18 March 2019 . Available at: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2019/03/18/proposed-changes-in-brazils-anticorruption-legislation-a-summary-and-critique/ . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/201...
)—but, even then, Bolsonaro’s government failed to ensure that the proposed crime bill passed with the inclusion of key measures related to corruption (CARVALHO and DELLA COLETTA, 2019b). In particular, the original crime bill was stripped of provisions that promised to curtail irregular campaign financing ( BULLOCK and STEPHENSON, 2020BULLOCK , J. ; STEPHENSON , M. How Should Lava Jato End? In: LAGUNES , P. ; SVEJNAR , J. ( ed .) . Corruption and the Lava Jato Scandal in Latin America . New York : Routledge , 2020 . , p. 218-219). Moreover, the approved legislation did not ensure the imprisonment of defendants upon losing their first court appeal, a longstanding concern for those who care about limiting impunity in Brazil ( ONOFRE, 2019ONOFRE , R. Deputados retiram prisão em 2ª instância de pacote de Moro . O Estado de S. Paulo , Brasília , 9 Jul . 2019 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,grupo-de-trabalho-da-camara-rejeita-proposta-de-prisao-apos-condenacao-em-2-instancia,70002914370 . Accessed on: 8 Jul. 2020 .
https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias...
). 45 45 See Section 2.8.

To make matters worse, in September of 2019, Bolsonaro enacted a bill that could criminalize some of the work of anticorruption prosecutors, police officers, and judges ( FRANCE, 2019FRANCE , G. Brazil: Setbacks in the legal and institutional anti-corruption frameworks . Berlin : Transparency International , 2019 . Available at: https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/brazil-setbacks-in-the-legal-and-institutional-anti-corruption-frameworks . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.transparency.org/en/publicat...
). Consequently, while recalling that a president does not have complete control over what is ultimately legislated in Congress, we do not find evidence that Bolsonaro has advocated for the Ten Measures Against Corruption during his time as president.

2.7. PROMISE TO LIMIT THE ABILITY OF PRESUMPTIVE CRIMINALS TO DELAY JUSTICE

Historically, those accused of corruption in Brazil have tended to avoid jail time (MICHENER and PEREIRA, 2020). One way to solve this would be to reform the law in order to limit the ability of presumptive criminals, especially those with power and wealth, to delay judicial procedures. In fact, during the 2018 campaign season, Jair Bolsonaro said that he supported jailing defendants as soon as they lost their first court appeal. 46 46 Jair Bolsonaro’s original statement on this matter was included in his official government plan (BOLSONARO, 2018a). The statement reads as follows: “A prisão tem que ocorrer em segunda instância” ( INTERATIVA FM GOIÂNIA, 2018 ). See Table 4 for more information. This measure is commonly known in Brazil as “second instance” imprisonment.

Encouragingly, in March of 2018, just seven months before the presidential election, then legislator Bolsonaro signed a bill that sought to turn the “second instance” imprisonment measure into law ( CÂMARA DOS DEPUTADOS, 2018CÂMARA DOS DEPUTADOS . Relatório de conferência de assinaturas da Proposta de Emenda à Constituição 409/2018 . Brasília, DF : Câmara dos Deputados , 2018 . Available at: https://www.camara.leg.br/proposicoesWeb/prop_mostrarintegra?codteor=1648067&filename=Tramitacao-PEC+409/2018 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.camara.leg.br/proposicoesWeb...
). However, once elected, Bolsonaro did not actually use his political influence to ensure that the measure received the support it needed in Congress. 47 47 Indeed, those who favored the measure—mainly, former Minister of Justice Sérgio Moro—complained that President Bolsonaro failed to back the anticrime bill ( ABRITTA, 2020 ). Similarly, the newspaper Gazeta do Povo published an editorial complaining that Bolsonaro has remained silent regarding the “second instance” imprisonment measure (GAZETA DO POVO, 2021). Initially, the anticrime bill proposal (see Section 2.6) included “second instance” imprisonment ( BARBIÉRI and CALGARO, 2019BARBIÉRI , L. F. ; CALGARO , F. Moro apresenta projeto anticorrupção e antiviolência com alterações em 14 leis . G1 , Brasília , 4 Feb . 2019 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2019/02/04/moro-apresenta-a-governadores-projeto-anticrime-com-14-alteracoes-em-leis.ghtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/20...
; CALGARO and PALMA, 2019CALGARO , F. ; PALMA , G. Ministros Moro e Onyx entregam à Câmara dos Deputados pacote anticrime do governo . G1 , Brasília , 19 Feb . 2019 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2019/02/19/moro-e-onyx-entregam-pacote-anticrime-a-camara-dos-deputados.ghtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/20...
), but committee representatives in the lower house of Congress moved to discard the measure ( ONOFRE, 2019ONOFRE , R. Deputados retiram prisão em 2ª instância de pacote de Moro . O Estado de S. Paulo , Brasília , 9 Jul . 2019 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,grupo-de-trabalho-da-camara-rejeita-proposta-de-prisao-apos-condenacao-em-2-instancia,70002914370 . Accessed on: 8 Jul. 2020 .
https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias...
).

Later, when “second instance” imprisonment was again taken up by Congress, the representative of Jair Bolsonaro’s government in the Senate, Fernando Bezerra Coelho, sought to delay the discussions ( MAIA, 2019MAIA , G. Líder do governo Bolsonaro recolhe assinaturas para atrasar projeto da prisão em 2ª instância . O Globo , Brasília , 11 Dec . 11 2019 , sec. Brasil . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/lider-do-governo-bolsonaro-recolhe-assinaturas-para-atrasar-projeto-da-prisao-em-2-instancia-24131717 . Accessed on: 10 Dec. 2020
https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/lider-do...
). As of this writing, media reports suggest that politicians from Centrão—i.e., Bolsonaro’s political allies in Congress—have also worked to delay the discussions about the measure ( SARDINHA, 2020SARDINHA , E. Centrão age nos bastidores para impedir votação de prisão em 2ª instância . Congresso em Foco , Brasília , 29 Sep . 2020 . Available at: https://congressoemfoco.uol.com.br/legislativo/centrao-age-nos-bastidores-para-impedir-votacao-de-prisao-em-2a-instancia/ . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://congressoemfoco.uol.com.br/legis...
). 48 48 Moreover, in February of 2021, when the government sent a list of priorities to Congress, not a single one related to corruption ( GAZETA DO POVO, 2021 ; TURTELLI, WETERMAN and BORGES, 2021). So, it may be said that, as president, Jair Bolsonaro and his allies have not prioritized the legislative measure that would ensure corrupt officials are jailed after losing their first court appeal.

2.8. PROMISE TO LIMIT POLITICAL IMMUNITY

Foro privilegiado is a special jurisdiction that has historically ensured that certain high-level politicians can only be investigated, prosecuted, and tried by the Supreme Court. Similar to the previous topic (see Section 2.7), foro privilegiado is a legal structure that contributes to sustaining impunity in Brazil, and so doing away with it would help ensure that all citizens enjoy similar rights and obligations before the law. 49 49 According to Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin, “the so-called foro privilegiado is not compatible with the republican principle,” according to which all persons are equal before the law ( RICHTER and PONTES, 2017 ).

Based on some of his statements, it appeared that Jair Bolsonaro wanted to end foro privilegiado . 50 50 Jair Bolsonaro’s statement was: “Eu sou favorável sim ao fim do foro privilegiado, mas com a manutenção da prisão em segunda instância” ( INTERATIVA FM GOIÂNIA, 2018 ). See Table 4 for more information. However, a similar dynamic to those described previously has also played out here. If Jair Bolsonaro was truly interested in ending foro privilegiado , as president he could encourage Brazilian legislators to discuss and vote for a Constitutional amendment that was approved by the Senate in 2017 ( GROBA, 2017GROBA , P. Senado aprova o fim do foro privilegiado, que segue para a Câmara . Senado Notícias , Brasília , 31 May 2017 . Available at: https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2017/05/31/senado-aprova-o-fim-do-foro-privilegiado-que-segue-para-a-camara . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/mat...
). However, he has not done so. Bolsonaro’s silence on the matter may be explained by the fact that one of his sons, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, is—as of this writing—under investigation ( SERAPIÃO, 2018SERAPIÃO , F. Coaf relata conta de ex-assessor de Flávio Bolsonaro . O Estado de S. Paulo , Brasília , 6 Dec . 2018 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/blogs/fausto-macedo/coaf-relata-conta-de-ex-assessor-de-flavio-bolsonaro . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2020 .
https://politica.estadao.com.br/blogs/fa...
; GUIMARÃES and SOARES, 2019GUIMARÃES , A. ; SOARES , P. R. Coaf aponta que Flávio Bolsonaro recebeu 48 depósitos suspeitos em 1 mês, no total de R$ 96 mil . Jornal Nacional , Brasília , 18 Jan . 2019 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/rj/rio-de-janeiro/noticia/2019/01/18/coaf-aponta-que-em-1-mes-foram-feitos-48-depositos-suspeitos-a-flavio-bolsonaro-no-total-de-r-96-mil.ghtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://g1.globo.com/rj/rio-de-janeiro/n...
). 51 51 On November 4, 2020, Rio de Janeiro state prosecutors pressed charges against Flávio Bolsonaro for embezzling money from staff members at his former legislative office in the Rio de Janeiro State Assembly (PHILLIPS, 2020b). As a reporter for The New York Times explains: Investigators say that the president’s son ran a scheme known as rachadinha , in which elected officials pocket part of the salary of legislative aides who accept employment on the condition of kicking back part of their pay. The tactic is common in the lower rungs of politics in Brazil. ( LONDOÑO, 2020 ) Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has sought to avoid trial by claiming that he should have special jurisdiction ( SARTORI, 2020SARTORI , C. Tribunal de Justiça do Rio dá foro privilegiado a Flávio Bolsonaro e tira inquérito das rachadinhas da primeira instância . O Estado de S. Paulo , Rio de Janeiro , 25 June 2020 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/blogs/fausto-macedo/justica-do-rio-aceita-pedido-de-flavio-bolsonaro-para-ser-julgado-na-segunda-instancia/ . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2021 .
https://politica.estadao.com.br/blogs/fa...
). In other words, one of Jair Bolsonaro’s sons is currently relying on foro privilegiado .

CONCLUSION

Our guiding assumptions are that political rhetoric matters, and that it is worth tracking whether elected politicians follow through with their campaign promises. That said, it is fair to question whether elected officials should restrict all of their actions to what was expected of them on or around Election Day (MANIN, PRZEWORSKI and STOKES, 1999, p. 22-23). Conditions will change over time, and so elected officials might reasonably diverge from their original proposals precisely to advance their constituents’ interests ( STOKES, 2001STOKES , S. C. Mandates and Democracy: Neoliberalism by Surprise in Latin America . New York : Cambridge University Press , 2001 . , p. 18). Still, when it comes to the issue of corruption, the dynamic is somewhat unique: the room for legitimate variation between public expectations and policy action is reduced—after all, surveys consistently find that people everywhere tend to oppose corruption no matter the circumstance (GATTI, PATERNOSTRO and RIGOLINI, 2003; TORGLER and VALEV, 2010TORGLER , B. ; VALEV , N. T. Gender and Public Attitudes toward Corruption and Tax Evasion . Contemporary Economic Policy , v. 28 , n. 4 , p. 554 - 68 , 2010 . ; DONG, DULLECK and TORGLER, 2012).

So, one can hardly claim that an elected official who ran on an anticorruption platform and then presented anticorruption as an inaugural priority can remain responsive to the public interest when his decisions in government systematically undermine the anticorruption agenda. Based on our review of President Jair Bolsonaro’s actions on anticorruption, we conclude that—at least on this issue—he has failed the Brazilian electorate. Has he promoted government transparency as he said he would? Has he protected the Lava Jato Task Force and other important anticorruption agencies as he promised? Has he ensured that all government appointments are based on merit, and has he fired close political collaborators who are accused of corruption? The answer is no—Bolsonaro has failed on all these fronts, just as he has failed to secure the sort of anticorruption legislation that he once said he favored.

Our conclusion should strike readers as concerning, especially considering that corruption in Brazil remains a problem. There are probes swirling around the President’s very own family and close allies ( EIU, 2020EIU . The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Country Report: Brazil . London : Economist Intelligence Unit , Oct . 2020 . ; PHILLIPS, 2020a; DW, 2020DW . Brazil Senator Caught Hiding Money “between Buttocks” . Deutsche Welle , 15 Oct . 2020 . Available at: https://www.dw.com/en/brazil-senator-caught-hiding-money-between-buttocks/a-55291992 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.dw.com/en/brazil-senator-cau...
; LONDOÑO, ANDREONI and CASADO, 2020). One of Jair Bolsonaro’s sons is said to be involved in “fake news” campaigns against political opponents, and another son and the first lady have both been implicated in an embezzlement scheme ( EIU 2020EIU . The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Country Report: Brazil . London : Economist Intelligence Unit , Oct . 2020 . ; LONDOÑO, ANDREONI and CASADO, 2020). In October 2020, Chico Rodrigues, Bolsonaro’s deputy leader in the Senate, was the target of an operation dealing with misappropriation of public funds ( CASTELLI, 2020CASTELLI , A. Brazilian Senator Allegedly Found with Cash in His Underwear During Police Raid . CNN , United States , 16 Oct . 2020 . Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/16/americas/hfr-brazil-police-cash-chico-rodrigues-jair-bolsonaro-intl/index.html . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/16/americas/...
; DW, 2020DW . Brazil Senator Caught Hiding Money “between Buttocks” . Deutsche Welle , 15 Oct . 2020 . Available at: https://www.dw.com/en/brazil-senator-caught-hiding-money-between-buttocks/a-55291992 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.dw.com/en/brazil-senator-cau...
; PHILLIPS, 2020a). 52 52 After the raid, Rodrigues resigned from his post as vice leader and was temporarily suspended from the Senate by the Supreme Court ( CASTELLI, 2020 ).

When all is said and done, it may be that the accusations against Bolsonaro’s sons, wife, and associates are proven baseless. Our objective here has not been to assess the validity of these allegations. Instead, our aim has been to examine whether Jair Bolsonaro’s campaign promises matched his early actions as president, and we have conducted this examination to test the extent to which he has remained responsive to the Brazilian electorate. But if any reader is unconvinced by our research, consider the stances taken by two well-known organizations. First, in late 2020, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project warned that Jair Bolsonaro stood out among leaders from around the world for his role in promoting corruption (OCCRP, 2020). Second, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development became sufficiently concerned about events in Brazil that it set up a group to both monitor the country and seemingly apply pressure in favor of anticorruption efforts ( SANCHES, 2021SANCHES , M. OCDE adota medida inédita contra o Brasil após sinais de retrocesso no combate à corrupção no país . BBC , 15 Mar . 2021 , sec. Brasil . Available at: https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-56406033 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-56...
). And so, we end this article by restating our conclusion: the evidence shows that, two years into his presidency, Jair Bolsonaro has failed the anticorruption mandate that he set for himself during the 2018 campaign season.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank Kevin Davis, Mariana Mota Prado, Marta Rodriguez Machado, Raquel de Mattos Pimenta, Matthew Taylor, Cortney Newell, Flávia Furlan Nunes, and the anonymous reviewers for their feedback. They also want to thank Louisa Ong for her valuable contribution to this study.

REFERENCES

  • 1
    The translation of Jair Bolsonaro’s statement: “My name was mentioned by Mr. Alberto Youssef [a black-market dealer] during his plea agreement [as] one of the three congressional members who did not receive money from Petrobras.” The original quote: “ Eu fui citado pelo senhor Alberto Youssef, por ocasião de sua delação premiada, [como] um dos três deputados que não foi pegar dinheiro na Petrobras ” ( LUPA, 2018LUPA . Jair Bolsonaro eleito: veja aqui 110 frases ditas por ele e checadas pela Lupa em 2018 . Folha de S.Paulo , Rio de Janeiro , 28 Oct . 28 2018 , sec. Lupa . Available at: https://piaui.folha.uol.com.br/lupa/2018/10/28/tudo-sobre-bolsonaro . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://piaui.folha.uol.com.br/lupa/2018...
    ).
  • 2
    For a relevant discussion of Brazil’s accountability system, see: PRADO and CORNELIUS (2020)PRADO , M. M. ; CORNELIUS , E. Institutional Multiplicity and the Fight against Corruption: A Research Agenda for the Brazilian Accountability Network . Revista Direito GV , São Paulo , v. 16 , n. 3 , e1974 , 2020 . .
  • 3
    As stated in candidate Jair Bolsonaro’s government plan (authors’ translation): “We propose a decent government [that will be] different from all that which has thrown us into an ethical, moral, and fiscal crisis. A government without quid pro quo, without spurious agreements.” The original quote: “ Propomos um governo decente, diferente de tudo aquilo que nos jogou em uma crise ética, moral e fiscal. Um governo sem ‘toma-lá-dá-cá’, sem acordos espúrios ” (BOLSONARO, 2018a, p. 2).
  • 4
    The original statement: “Não há a menor dúvida, daria golpe no mesmo dia” (HELAL FILHO, 2019).
  • 5
    The original statement: “Através do voto você não vai mudar nada nesse país, nada, absolutamente nada” (HELAL FILHO, 2019).
  • 6
    The Ten Measures (or, as it was referred to in Brazil, “Dez Medidas Contra a Corrupção”) included proposals to end some of the legal privileges that make it difficult to prosecute elected officials, while—among other things—increasing the penalties for officials convicted of corruption ( CARVALHO, 2016CARVALHO , C. Brazil: Recovery Reform Opportunity . Washington, DC : Brazil-U.S. Business Council , 2016 . Available at: https://www.brazilcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Brazil-Recovery-Reform-Opportunity____.pdf . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www.brazilcouncil.org/wp-content...
    , p. 5; BULLOCK and STEPHENSON, 2020BULLOCK , J. ; STEPHENSON , M. How Should Lava Jato End? In: LAGUNES , P. ; SVEJNAR , J. ( ed .) . Corruption and the Lava Jato Scandal in Latin America . New York : Routledge , 2020 . , p. 216).
  • 7
    That said, the president is a central actor with strong legislative powers in the Brazilian governing system ( ABRANCHES, 1988ABRANCHES , S. Presidencialismo de coalizão: o dilema institucional brasileiro . Dados , v. 31 , n. 1 , p. 5 - 34 , 1988 . ; FIGUEIREDO and LIMONGI, 2007FIGUEIREDO , A. C. ; LIMONGI , F. Instituições políticas e governabilidade: desempenho do governo e apoio legislativo na democracia brasileira . In: MELO , C. R. ; SÁEZ , M. A. ( ed .) . A Democracia Brasileira: Balanço e Perspectivas para o Século 21 . Belo Horizonte : Editora UFMG , 2007 . ; MELO and PEREIRA, 2013MELO , M. A. ; PEREIRA , C. Making Brazil Work: Checking the President in a Multiparty System . New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan , 2013 . ).
  • 8
    Much of this article was drafted between the months of May and October of 2020. By the time this article is published, President Bolsonaro will have been in office for more than two years.
  • 9
    The MPU was created in 1951 and is headed by the Chief General Prosecutor. There are a few different agencies under the MPU’s governance structure, including the Federal Prosecution Service ( Ministério Público Federal , MPF), the Labor Prosecution Service ( Ministério Público do Trabalho , MPT), and the Military Prosecution Service ( Ministério Público Militar ) ( BRAZIL, 1993BRAZIL . Lei complementar nº 75, 20 May 1993 . Dispõe sobre a organização, as atribuições e o estatuto do Ministério Público da União . Brasília, DF : Presidência da República , 1993 . Available at: http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/LCP/Lcp75.htm . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/lei...
    ; ABREU, 2010ABREU , A. A. O que é o Ministério Público? Rio de Janeiro : Editora FGV , 2010 . ).
  • 10
    We fully acknowledge that witnessing scandals during a given presidential administration is not necessarily the result of broken promises or lack of political responsiveness. In fact, it could reflect the opposite. More accountable or responsive administrations might be more inclined to spotlight and confront corruption, thus increasing the number of scandals observed over a given time period. Following this line of thinking, readers should view the lack of corruption scandals during the 1964-1969 period with skepticism (see Table 1 ). Is it that corruption was actually under control during this period of military rule, or is it that the lack of freedom and democracy in Brazil before 1988 made it easier to hide corruption allegations? In our opinion, the latter seems more likely.
  • 11
    The year before, the same newspaper had revealed allegations of irregularities in the public bidding for the construction of a railroad, leading to another congressional inquiry ( CPI Ferrovia Norte e Sul ) and the cancellation of the bidding ( FREITAS, 1987FREITAS , J. Concorrência da ferrovia Norte-Sul foi uma farsa . Folha de S.Paulo , São Paulo , 13 May 1987 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/80anos/marcos_do_jornalismo-03.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/80an...
    ; WAISBORD, 2000WAISBORD , S. Watchdog Journalism in South America: News, Accountability, and Democracy . New York : Columbia University Press , 2000 . ; POWER and TAYLOR, 2011POWER , T. J. ; TAYLOR , M. M. Introduction: Accountability Institutions and Political Corruption in Brazil . In: POWER , T. J. ; TAYLOR , M. M. ( ed .) . Corruption and Democracy in Brazil: The Struggle for Accountability . Notre Dame : University of Notre Dame Press , 2011 . , p. 2).
  • 12
    Though President Collor was cleared of corruption charges by the Supreme Court ( AURÉLIO, 2010AURÉLIO , D. R. A Extraordinária História do Brasil. Volume 3. Os tempos atuais: Brasil República . São Paulo : Universo dos Livros , 2010 . ; MOTTA, 2014MOTTA , S. STF absolve Collor de crime da época em que era presidente . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília 24 Apr . 2014 . Available at: https://m.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2014/04/1445021-stf-absolve-collor-de-crime-da-epoca-em-que-era-presidente.shtml . Accessed on: 30 Jan. 2021 .
    https://m.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2014/04...
    ), years later, while a sitting senator, he was among the politicians implicated in Lava Jato ( AMORIM, 2017AMORIM , F. STF aceita denúncia e Collor se torna réu na Lava Jato . UOL , Brasília , 22 Aug . 2017 . Available at: https://noticias.uol.com.br/politica/ultimas-noticias/2017/08/22/stf-aceita-denuncia-e-collor-se-torna-reu-na-lava-jato.htm . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://noticias.uol.com.br/politica/ult...
    ).
  • 13
    In the wake of Mensalão , representatives from opposition parties also faced investigations and criminal trials for similar quid pro quo schemes. These particular scandals became known as Mensalão do DEM and Mensalão Tucano, both of which are listed in Table 2 .
  • 14
    In Brazil, members of parliament, government ministers, the president, the vice president, and members of the higher courts are subject to a special jurisdiction ( foro privilegiado ). Only the Supreme Court can judge members of this group. See Section 2.8 for further discussion.
  • 15
    As explained by Dilma Rousseff and others in the message that accompanied the Lei de Acesso à Informação , “Access to public information […] is one of the strongest tools for fighting corruption” (ROUSSEFF et al. , 2009).
  • 16
    Rousseff was accused of spending public funds without congressional authorization and was impeached in August, shortly after the 2016 Olympics. Rousseff herself was not accused of corruption ( LAGUNES and ROSE-ACKERMAN, 2017LAGUNES , P. ; ROSE-ACKERMAN , S. Why Brazil Is Winning Its Fight against Corruption . The Conversation , 2 Feb . 2017 , sec. Economy + Business . Available at: https://theconversation.com/why-brazil-is-winning-its-fight-against-corruption-71968 . Accesses on: 2 Apr. 2021 .
    https://theconversation.com/why-brazil-i...
    ).
  • 17
    Transparency is considered relevant to our line of inquiry based on a core assumption: officials in regimes that embrace transparency realize their actions are subject to review, and therefore are induced to act with greater honesty ( LAGUNES, 2021LAGUNES , P. The Eye & the Whip: Corruption Control in the Americas . New York, NY : Oxford University Press , 2021 . , p. 25).
  • 18
    One of Jair Bolsonaro’s key statements on the subject of government transparency was: “Transparência acima de tudo. Todos os nossos atos terão que ser abertos para o público. E o que aconteceu no passado também. Não podemos admitir qualquer cláusula de confidencialidade pretérita. Esses atos e ações tornar-se-ão públicos” ( CAMPOS and GONÇALVES, 2019CAMPOS , A. C. ; GONÇALVES , C. Bolsonaro quer transparência em atos dos governos atual e anteriores . Agência Brasil , Brasília , 7 Jan . 2019 . Available at: https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politica/noticia/2019-01/bolsonaro-quer-transparencia-em-atos-dos-governos-atual-e-anteriores . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politic...
    ). See Table 3 for the English language translation of the statement.
    TABLE 3
    – CANDIDATE JAIR BOLSONARO’S PROMISES TO FIGHT CORRUPTION (PART 1 OF 2)
  • 19
    Researchers from UNICAMP university later alleged that data used for these studies had been fabricated ( DRUMMOND, 2019DRUMMOND , C. Pesquisadores descobrem trapaça do governo em cálculos da reforma da Previdência . Carta Capital , 17 Sep . 2019 . Available at: https://www.cartacapital.com.br/economia/pesquisadores-descobrem-trapaca-do-governo-em-calculos-da-reforma-da-previdencia . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www.cartacapital.com.br/economia...
    ).
  • 20
    By “holdout strategies,” we refer to the extended push and pull that occurs when a government agency refuses to answer a FOI request and the denial is appealed.
  • 21
    Jair Bolsonaro’s original statement on the Lava Jato Task Force was made on Twitter (BOLSONARO, 2018b). The statement reads as follows: “Apoiar a Lava Jato é fundamental no combate à corrupção no Brasil. O fim da impunidade é uma das frentes que estanca o problema, outra é atacar a corrupção na sua raiz, pondo fim nas indicações políticas do governo em troca de apoio. Nós temos a independência necessária para tal!” See Table 3 for more information.
  • 22
    Aras, who holds a Ph.D. in Constitutional Law from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, is the son of a former legislator and a long-time member of the Federal Prosecution Service ( CORREIO DA BAHIA, 2019CORREIO DA BAHIA . Indicado para PGR, baiano Augusto Aras busca apoio de senadores . Correio da Bahia , Salvador , 7 Sep . 2019 . Available at: https://www.correio24horas.com.br/noticia/nid/indicado-para-pgr-baiano-augusto-aras-busca-apoio-de-senadores . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www.correio24horas.com.br/notici...
    ).
  • 23
    See our brief discussion of the lista tríplice in Section 1.7.
  • 24
    In July 2020, Aras said, “It is time to correct the course so that lavajatismo does not endure” (authors’ translation). The original statement in Portuguese was: “É hora de corrigir rumos para que o lavajatismo não perdure” ( VENAGLIA and LIMA, 2020VENAGLIA , G. ; LIMA , K. Augusto Aras: “É hora de corrigir rumos para que o lavajatismo não perdure” . CNN Brasil , São Paulo , 28 July 2020 . Available at: https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/2020/07/28/augusto-aras-e-hora-de-corrigir-rumos-para-que-lavajatismo-nao-perdure . Accessed on: 10 Oct. 2020 .
    https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/20...
    ).
  • 25
    Around this time, some of Aras’s close associates also began questioning the appropriateness of the Task Force model (PIRES, 2020d).
  • 26
    Now that the Lava Jato Task Force has been terminated, it appears as though some of its prosecutors will be transferred to the recently created Special Group Combating Organized Crime (in Portuguese, Grupo de Atuação Especial de Combate ao Crime Organizado or Gaeco). Gaeco will work within the Federal Prosecution Service in the state of Paraná ( MPF, 2021MPF . Lava Jato passa a integrar o Grupo de Ação Especial de Combate ao Crime Organizado no Paraná . Ministério Público Federal , Paraná , 3 Feb . 2021 . Available at: www.mpf.mp.br/pr/sala-de-imprensa/noticias-pr/lava-jato-passa-a-integrar-o-gaeco-no-parana . Accessed on: 15 Apr. 2021 .
    www.mpf.mp.br/pr/sala-de-imprensa/notici...
    ; BRITO and SLATTERY, 2021BRITO , R. ; SLATTERY , G. After seven years, Brazil shuts down Car Wash anti-corruption squad . Reuters , Brasília , 3 Feb . 2021 . Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-corruption-idUSKBN2A4068 . Accessed on: 10 Dec. 2020 .
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazi...
    ).
  • 27
    For a discussion of some of the issues with how Operação Lava Jato was carried out, see: CAMPELLO et al. (2020), and GANLEY and LAGUNES (2020b).
  • 28
    In Portuguese, the original statement reads as follows: “Eu acabei com a Lava Jato porque não tem mais corrupção no governo” (DELLA COLETTA, CARVALHO and URIBE, 2020).
  • 29
    A clarifying statement is in order. As far as we can tell, Jair Bolsonaro never openly criticized the Lava Jato Task Force. However, his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, did express support for Aras’s actions against the Task Force ( CAPELLI and PRADO, 2020CAPELLI , P. ; PRADO , T. Entrevista exclusiva: Flávio Bolsonaro critica Lava-Jato e defende atuação de Aras . O Globo , Brasília , 5 Aug . 2020 . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/entrevista-exclusiva-flavio-bolsonaro-critica-lava-jato-defende-atuacao-de-aras-1-24568258 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/entrevis...
    ).
  • 30
    Jair Bolsonaro’s original statement about Brazil’s accountability institutions was included in his official government plan (BOLSONARO, 2018a). The statement reads as follows: “Desafios urgentes: Corrupção generalizada e ameaças às instituições que a estão combatendo.” See Table 3 for additional information.
  • 31
    See Sections 1.5 and 1.7 for a reminder of some of these institutions’ basic functions.
  • 32
    The COAF’s staff increased from thirty-seven to fifty-six ( PIRES, 2019PIRES , B. “ Coaf foi oferecido por Guedes e Moro, de bom grado, aceitou .” O Estado de S. Paulo , Brasília , 1 May 2019 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/blogs/fausto-macedo/coaf-foi-oferecido-por-guedes-e-moro-de-bom-grado-aceitou . Accessed on: 2 Aug. 2020 .
    https://politica.estadao.com.br/blogs/fa...
    ).
  • 33
    In November 4, 2020, Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Flávio Bolsonaro, was formally charged with embezzlement and money laundering in a scheme involving staff members at his former legislative office in the Rio de Janeiro State Assembly ( LONDOÑO, 2020LONDOÑO , E. Bolsonaro’s Eldest Son, a Senator, Faces Graft Charges in Brazil . New York Times , Rio de Janeiro , 4 Nov . 2020 . Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/world/americas/flavio-bolsonaro-charges.html . Accessed on: 15 Dec. 2020 .
    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/world...
    ). As of this writing, there are still charges pending against Flávio Bolsonaro ( SACONI, 2021SACONI , J. P. “Rachadinha”: entenda o caso de Flávio Bolsonaro após decisões do STJ . O Globo , Rio de Janeiro , 17 Mar . 2021 . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/rachadinha-entenda-caso-de-flavio-bolsonaro-apos-decisoes-do-stj-24928221 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/rachadin...
    ; SCHREIBER, 2021SCHREIBER , M. STJ rejeita recurso de Flávio Bolsonaro que tentava anular investigação da “rachadinha” . BBC News Brasil , Brasília , 16 Mar . 2021 . Available at: https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-56423776 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-56...
    ).
  • 34
    Given the number of disruptive changes affecting the COAF, there were many who voiced concern ( DIANNI, 2019DIANNI , C. Mudanças no Coaf podem afetar cooperação internacional contra o crime . Correio Braziliense , Brasília , 28 Aug . 2019 . Available at: https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/app/noticia/politica/2019/08/28/interna_politica,779485/mudancas-no-coaf-podem-afetar-cooperacao-internacional-contra-o-crime.shtml . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/ap...
    ; SIMON, 2019SIMON , R. Bolsonaro’s Siege Against Law Enforcement Agencies . Americas Quarterly , 12 Sep . 2019 . Available at: https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/bolsonaros-siege-against-law-enforcement-agencies . Accessed on: 10 Oct. 2020 .
    https://www.americasquarterly.org/articl...
    ; HARRIS, 2020HARRIS , B. Brazil criticised for backtracking on terror funding fight . Financial Times , Brasília , 3 Feb . 2020 . Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/1fa9e73c-3ec5-11ea-a01a-bae547046735 . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www.ft.com/content/1fa9e73c-3ec5...
    ).
  • 35
    Valeixo’s removal is the particular event that seems to have caused Sérgio Moro to resign from his position as Bolsonaro’s Minister of Justice (LONDOÑO, CASADO and ANDREONI, 2020a).
  • 36
    Jair Bolsonaro’s original statement on the question of political appointments was made on Twitter (BOLSONARO, 2018b). The statement reads as follows: “O fim da impunidade é uma das frentes que estanca o problema, outra é atacar a corrupção na sua raiz, pondo fim nas indicações políticas do governo em troca de apoio. Nós temos a independência necessária para tal!” See Table 3 for more information.
  • 37
    To quote Bolsonaro, “As indicações políticas levam à ineficiência do Estado e à corrupção” ( JORNAL NACIONAL, 2018JORNAL NACIONAL . Bolsonaro diz que Ministério da Saúde terá dinheiro para investimentos ao acabar com indicação partidária e corrupção . TV Globo , Rio de Janeiro , 19 Oct . 2018 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/politica/eleicoes/2018/noticia/2018/10/19/bolsonaro-diz-que-ministerio-da-saude-tera-dinheiro-para-investimentos-ao-acabar-com-indicacao-partidaria-e-corrupcao.ghtml . Accessed on: 10 Dec. 2020 .
    https://g1.globo.com/politica/eleicoes/2...
    ).
  • 38
    Both members of the Progressistas party, Ciro Nogueira and Arthur Lira are—as of this writing—defendants in a Lava Jato case. They are accused of forming a criminal organization with other congressmen to embezzle money from Petrobras ( FREIRE, 2019FREIRE , S. 2ª Turma do STF torna líderes do PP réus por organização criminosa . Poder360 , Brasília , 11 June 2019 . Available at: https://www.poder360.com.br/lava-jato/2a-turma-do-stf-torna-lideres-do-pp-reus-por-organizacao-criminosa . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www.poder360.com.br/lava-jato/2a...
    ; D’AGOSTINO and OLIVEIRA, 2019D’AGOSTINO , R. ; OLIVEIRA , M. 1ª Turma do STF torna deputado Arthur Lira réu por corrupção passiva; defesa contesta . G1 , Brasília , 8 Oct . 2019 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2019/10/08/primeira-turma-do-supremo-torna-arthur-lira-reu-por-corrupcao.ghtml . Accessed on: 8 Nov. 2020 .
    https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/20...
    ; BRAGON, 2020BRAGON , R. Recém-aliado a Bolsonaro, Centrão é suspeito de usar apoio e cargos para obter propina . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 8 May 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/05/recem-aliado-a-bolsonaro-centrao-e-suspeito-de-usar-apoio-e-cargos-para-obter-propina.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
    ). However, in March 2021, these charges were dismissed by the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court ( TEIXEIRA, 2021TEIXEIRA , M. 2021. Em decisão incomum, STF rejeita denúncia que havia aceitado contra Lira e cúpula do PP em 2019 . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 2 Mar . 2021 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2021/03/em-decisao-incomum-stf-rejeita-denuncia-que-havia-aceitado-contra-lira-e-cupula-do-pp-em-2019.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2021...
    ; MOURA, 2021MOURA , R. M. 2ª Turma do STF arquiva denúncia contra Arthur Lira no “quadrilhão do PP” . O Estado de S. Paulo , Brasília , 2 Mar . 2021 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/blogs/fausto-macedo/gilmar-mendes-vota-para-arquivar-denuncia-contra-arthur-lira-no-quadrilhao-do-pp/ . Accessed on: 10 Apr. 2021 .
    https://politica.estadao.com.br/blogs/fa...
    ). Notably, Arthur Lira is also a defendant in another Lava Jato corruption case. He is accused of taking bribes in exchange for sustaining the nomination of the president of a state company ( D’AGOSTINO and OLIVEIRA, 2019D’AGOSTINO , R. ; OLIVEIRA , M. 1ª Turma do STF torna deputado Arthur Lira réu por corrupção passiva; defesa contesta . G1 , Brasília , 8 Oct . 2019 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2019/10/08/primeira-turma-do-supremo-torna-arthur-lira-reu-por-corrupcao.ghtml . Accessed on: 8 Nov. 2020 .
    https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/20...
    ; AMORIM, 2020).
  • 39
    Jair Bolsonaro’s original statement on this matter reads as follows: “Havendo qualquer comprovação ou denúncia robusta contra quem quer que seja e que esteja ao alcance da minha caneta Bic, ela será usada” (MONTEIRO, LINDNER and LIMA, 2018). See Table 4 for more information.
    TABLE 4
    – CANDIDATE JAIR BOLSONARO’S PROMISES TO FIGHT CORRUPTION (PART 2 OF 2)
  • 40
    Later, in August 2020, Onyx Lorenzoni signed a non-prosecution deal with General Prosecutor Augusto Aras in which he confessed to having received some USD 56,000 in illegal campaign donations ( FABRINI, 2020FABRINI , F. Onyx admite caixa dois da JBS e pagará R$ 189 mil para encerrar investigação . Folha de S.Paulo , 3 Aug . 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/08/onyx-admite-caixa-dois-da-jbs-e-pagara-r-189-mil-para-encerrar-investigacao.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
    ; TALENTO, 2020TALENTO , A. Onyx faz acordo com PGR, admite caixa dois e paga R$ 189 mil para encerrar processo . O Globo , Brasília , 3 Aug . 2020 . Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/onyx-faz-acordo-com-pgr-admite-caixa-dois-paga-189-mil-para-encerrar-processo-24564497 . Accessed on: 10 Oct. 2020 .
    https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/onyx-faz...
    ).
  • 41
    Bolsonaro eventually removed Onyx Lorenzoni from the position; however, he was then appointed to head the Ministry of Citizenship, and so was not actually expelled from Bolsonaro’s administration (BOADLE, 2020b).
  • 42
    Bolsonaro’s original sentence in Portuguese: “Ele não chegou ao final da linha. Se for algo de grave, substancioso, a gente toma uma decisão. Ele está fazendo um brilhante trabalho” ( MONTEIRO and MATAIS, 2019MONTEIRO , T. ; MATAIS , A. “Economia é 100% com o Guedes e não tem plano B”, diz Bolsonaro . O Estado de S. Paulo , Brasília , 5 Oct . 2019 . Available at: https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,economia-e-100-com-o-guedes-e-nao-tem-plano-b-diz-bolsonaro,70003038726 . Accessed on: 18 Sep. 2020 .
    https://politica.estadao.com.br/noticias...
    ).
  • 43
    Bolsonaro’s original quote in Portuguese: “Se foi ilegal, a gente vê lá na frente. Mas, pelo que vi até agora, está tudo legal, vai continuar. Excelente profissional. Se fosse um porcaria, igual alguns que tem por aí, ninguém estaria criticando ele” ( FERNANDES, 2020FERNANDES , T. “Se foi ilegal, a gente vê lá na frente”, diz Bolsonaro sobre chefe da Secom . Folha de S.Paulo , Brasília , 16 Jan . 2020 . Available at: https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/01/bolsonaro-ataca-folha-e-diz-que-chefe-da-secom-permanece-no-cargo.shtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020...
    ).
  • 44
    Jair Bolsonaro’s original statement about the Ten Measures Against Corruption was included in his official government plan (BOLSONARO, 2018a). The statement reads as follows: “Transparência e Combate à Corrupção são metas inegociáveis. Como pilar deste compromisso, iremos resgatar ‘As Dez Medidas Contra a Corrupção’, propostas pelo Ministério Público Federal e apoiadas por milhões de brasileiros, e encaminhá-las para aprovação no Congresso Nacional.” See Table 4 for more information.
  • 45
    See Section 2.8.
  • 46
    Jair Bolsonaro’s original statement on this matter was included in his official government plan (BOLSONARO, 2018a). The statement reads as follows: “A prisão tem que ocorrer em segunda instância” ( INTERATIVA FM GOIÂNIA, 2018INTERATIVA FM GOIÂNIA . Entrevista Bolsonaro na IN #InterativaLive . Goiânia : Interativa FM , 2018 . 1 video (155 minutes) . Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLECVKqfuJQ . Accessed on: 9 Dec. 2020 .
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLECVKqf...
    ). See Table 4 for more information.
  • 47
    Indeed, those who favored the measure—mainly, former Minister of Justice Sérgio Moro—complained that President Bolsonaro failed to back the anticrime bill ( ABRITTA, 2020ABRITTA , P. Exclusivo: Moro critica aliança com ‘Centrão’ e diz que Bolsonaro não apoiou o combate à corrupção . TV Globo , Rio de Janeiro , 24 May 2020 . Available at: https://g1.globo.com/fantastico/noticia/2020/05/24/exclusivo-moro-critica-alianca-com-centrao-e-diz-que-bolsonaro-nao-apoiou-o-combate-a-corrupcao.ghtml . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://g1.globo.com/fantastico/noticia/...
    ). Similarly, the newspaper Gazeta do Povo published an editorial complaining that Bolsonaro has remained silent regarding the “second instance” imprisonment measure (GAZETA DO POVO, 2021).
  • 48
    Moreover, in February of 2021, when the government sent a list of priorities to Congress, not a single one related to corruption ( GAZETA DO POVO, 2021GAZETA DO POVO . A prioridade que não entrou na lista . Gazeta do Povo , Curitiba , 6 Feb . 2021 . Available at: https://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/opiniao/editoriais/prisao-segunda-instancia-prioridade/ . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/opiniao/...
    ; TURTELLI, WETERMAN and BORGES, 2021).
  • 49
    According to Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin, “the so-called foro privilegiado is not compatible with the republican principle,” according to which all persons are equal before the law ( RICHTER and PONTES, 2017RICHTER , A. ; PONTES , F. Fachin diz que foro privilegiado é “incompatível com o princípio republicano” . Agência Brasil , Brasília , 17 Feb . 2017 . Available at: https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politica/noticia/2017-02/fachin-diz-que-foro-privilegiado-e-incompativel-com-o-principio-republicano . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2020 .
    https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politic...
    ).
  • 50
    Jair Bolsonaro’s statement was: “Eu sou favorável sim ao fim do foro privilegiado, mas com a manutenção da prisão em segunda instância” ( INTERATIVA FM GOIÂNIA, 2018INTERATIVA FM GOIÂNIA . Entrevista Bolsonaro na IN #InterativaLive . Goiânia : Interativa FM , 2018 . 1 video (155 minutes) . Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLECVKqfuJQ . Accessed on: 9 Dec. 2020 .
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLECVKqf...
    ). See Table 4 for more information.
  • 51
    On November 4, 2020, Rio de Janeiro state prosecutors pressed charges against Flávio Bolsonaro for embezzling money from staff members at his former legislative office in the Rio de Janeiro State Assembly (PHILLIPS, 2020b). As a reporter for The New York Times explains: Investigators say that the president’s son ran a scheme known as rachadinha , in which elected officials pocket part of the salary of legislative aides who accept employment on the condition of kicking back part of their pay. The tactic is common in the lower rungs of politics in Brazil. ( LONDOÑO, 2020LONDOÑO , E. Bolsonaro’s Eldest Son, a Senator, Faces Graft Charges in Brazil . New York Times , Rio de Janeiro , 4 Nov . 2020 . Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/world/americas/flavio-bolsonaro-charges.html . Accessed on: 15 Dec. 2020 .
    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/world...
    )
  • 52
    After the raid, Rodrigues resigned from his post as vice leader and was temporarily suspended from the Senate by the Supreme Court ( CASTELLI, 2020CASTELLI , A. Brazilian Senator Allegedly Found with Cash in His Underwear During Police Raid . CNN , United States , 16 Oct . 2020 . Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/16/americas/hfr-brazil-police-cash-chico-rodrigues-jair-bolsonaro-intl/index.html . Accessed on: 17 Apr. 2021 .
    https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/16/americas/...
    ).

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    01 Sept 2021
  • Date of issue
    2021

History

  • Received
    26 Oct 2020
  • Accepted
    18 May 2021
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