As expected, Senate committee confirms prosecutor general

The Brazilian Senate’s Constitution and Justice Committee gave its approval to the appointment of Augusto Aras to a second two-year term as prosecutor general. After a six-hour confirmation hearing, members of the committee voted 21 to 6 in favor of keeping Mr. Aras in the job. Though a formality, the final decision will lie with the full Senate floor, with a vote expected to take place later this week.

The prosecutor general has been accused of being overly subservient to far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who initially appointed Mr. Aras as the head of Brazil’s federal prosecution service in 2019. However, in today’s confirmation hearing, Mr. Aras denied these allegations, claiming his decisions were based on the Constitution.

While the committee vote was held in secret, it is believed that Mr. Aras enjoyed the support of senators from across the political spectrum — either due to his perceived acquiescence toward the current government or because of his work to dismantle the Operation Car Wash anti-corruption task force, which routed Brazil’s political class and was criticized for its overly zealous methods of prosecution.

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