When Brazil created its Misconduct in Office Law in 1992, the country was feeling the winds of change. For the first time in three decades, the population at large was able to take to the street and protest against the government without fear of violent retribution from the military regime that ruled the country from 1964 to 1985.
The “Painted Faces” movement demanded the impeachment of then-President Fernando Collor de Mello — who was mired in corruption scandals — and paved the way for a set of rules to curb misdeeds and the improper use of public money. The feeling...
