As reported by MercoPress
BOGOTA (TrustLaw) - Corruption is widespread in the Brazilian government and the country lacks well-trained police to tackle the problem, according to a media report that cites U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.
“Corruption is persistent and widely extended and engulfs all three branches of government” said Thomas Shannon, U.S. ambassador to Brazil, in a letter addressed February 2010 to the US Attorney General Eric Holder who was preparing for an official trip to Brazil.
“Police capacity is limited by the lack of training, bureaucratic rivalries, corruption in some agencies and police forces too small for a country of 200 million people”, added Shannon.
The cable released on 30th August by Wikileaks refers to former president Lula da Silva’s administration.
Shannon was also highly critical of Brazil’s judiciary.
“Although some magistrates are very high level the whole Brazilian judicial system is many times described as dysfunctional, influenced by overlapping jurisdictions, lack of training, an atrophying bureaucracy and overwhelming backlogs,” the cable said.
Since taking office last January, President Dilma Rouseff, Lula’s successor, has lost three ministers and several top officials in less than three months over graft allegations.
Brazil's agriculture minister, Wagner Rossi, resigned in August amid reports in the local press that top aides in the ministry were accepting kickbacks from agricultural companies.
The wave of resignations began in June when Rousseff's chief of staff and top presidential aide, Antonio Palocci, stepped down over allegations of influence peddling and illegally amassing wealth.
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