PAYBACK

Bolsonaro Makes Judge Who Jailed Lula His New Justice Minister

Sergio Moro's investigation led to a 12-year prison sentence for Brazil's previous president.

Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro made the judge who ousted the previous president his new justice minister, BBC News reports. Sergio Moro, a judge whose corruption investigation took down ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, reportedly accepted Bolsonaro’s offer to lead the justice ministry on Thursday. “Federal Judge Sergio Moro has accepted our invitation to be minister of justice and public security,” Bolsonaro reportedly tweeted. “His anti-corruption, anti-organized crime agenda and his respect for the constitution and the law will be our guiding principle!” Moro reportedly led a major investigation known as Operation Car Wash, which probed alleged bribes between officials and the state oil company Petrobras. Lula was reportedly the frontrunner in Brazil’s election until he was accused of corruption as a result of the probe. He was subsequently handed a 12-year prison sentence last April. While the investigation implicated many officials, Moro was reportedly accused of “disproportionately targeting left-wing politicians.”