How Brazil’s Congress uses investigation committees as political tools

News that Alessandro Vieira, a first-time Senator from the northeastern state of Sergipe, managed to gather the necessary signatures to launch a so-called Parliamentary Committee of Investigation into the activities of the Brazilian justice system, sent shockwaves through Brasilia. The threat of investigation exasperated an already existent rift between the Legislature and Judiciary—two of the country’s three branches of power.

Panic set in, with Supreme Court Justices lobbying senators in an attempt to convince them to withdraw their support and avoid the dreaded investigation. It turned out to be successful, with Senators Kátia Abreu and Tasso Jereissati taking their names off the petition.

These investigation committees, commonly known as CPIs, are a peculiar aspect of Brazil’s legislative system. Typically involving a great deal of grandstanding and public airings of dirty laundry, with little end result, the bark of a CPI is, more often than not, much worse than its bite.

Despite its grand title, a CPI actually doesn’t have all that much to do with investigating. The motives for instating said committees are usually political—be it personal or partisan—and they are geared far more towards marketing and molding public opinion.

How does a CPI work?

In theory, any elected official from any legislative chamber around the country has the power to launch a CPI into a matter of his or her choosing. First, however, the said politician must draw up a request and receive the support of...