RIO DE JANEIRO, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Former Brazilian Minister of Justice and Public Security Sergio Moro on Friday presented evidence to support his accusation that President Jair Bolsonaro tried to interfere in Federal Police investigations.
Moro, who stepped down from office earlier on Friday, told TV news program Jornal Nacional that Bolsonaro asked him to fire Mauricio Valeixo, head of the Federal Police. According to Moro, the president wanted to replace Valeixo with someone who could give him information on federal investigations.
However, those investigations are confidential, Moro said, adding that the president wanted information on investigations carried out by the Supreme Court.
The former minister said he refused to fire Valeixo, recalling that the president had promised him autonomy to nominate his subordinates, with Bolsonaro seeming to have backed off. However, the announcement of Valeixo's dismissal was made in the early hours of Friday, prompting Moro to call for a news conference to announce his resignation.
Moro presented to the news program pictures of a messaging app conversation between him and Bolsonaro, in which Bolsonaro indicates that an investigation on his allies in Congress is "another reason to replace" Valeixo, suggesting that the replacement was a presidential request.
He also presented a conversation between him and a federal representative, Carla Zambelli, in which Zambelli urged him to accept Valeixo's replacement in exchange for his nomination to the Supreme Court, to which she promised support. In the conversation, Moro rejected the offer.
During a news conference in the late afternoon, Bolsonaro denied having demanded the resignation of Valeixo, saying that Valeixo had expressed the desire to step down.
He admitted he wanted someone he could interact with at the helm of the Federal Police, but denied interfering in the institution, noting that nominating the head of the Federal Police is a presidential prerogative. Enditem
