01/02/2024 – 21:16
Former STF minister assumes the Justice portfolio with the challenge of combating organized crime which, according to him, is beginning to infiltrate public bodies. Former Federal Supreme Court minister Ricardo Lewandowski took office this Thursday (01 /02) as Minister of Justice and Public Security, promising to combat organized crime and militias.
Lewandowski replaces Flávio Dino, who, in turn, was appointed by the president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to replace Cármen Lúcia in the Supreme Court, after his retirement.
At the inauguration ceremony at Palácio do Planalto, with the presence of Lula, Dino and other authorities, Lewandowski said that he intends to work together with states and municipalities, and guided by the principles of the federal Constitution.
“Keep in mind that we are servants of the Brazilian citizen and that is how we will act”, he stated.
Organized crime in public bodies
Lewandowski praised his predecessor and said that the two “are on the same team”.
“Our goals coincide and my management will be one of continuity”, stated the new minister.
Among his challenges, Lewandowski cited criminal organizations that, according to him, are beginning to infiltrate public bodies. He defended intelligence work to identify leaders and block financial and asset movements that feed organized crime structures.
“The activities of criminal organizations, which include militias subdivided into multiple factions, sometimes allies, sometimes rivals, previously restricted to peripheral areas where the State was absent and to hidden prison environments, are now developing everywhere, in the light of the day, with bold impudence and in a business manner”, he said.
“As occurs in other nations, organized crime is beginning to infiltrate public bodies, especially those linked to security, and to multiply shell companies to launder funds obtained illicitly,” he explained.
Lewandowski also defended an alliance with states and municipalities, which have primary responsibility for public security.
“It is necessary to overcome federative fragmentation and establish a joint national effort to neutralize the leaders of criminal organizations and confiscate their assets, because they cannot survive without resources to pay for their soldiers and their operations”, he noted.
Importance of public policies
During his speech, Lewandowski also highlighted the importance of public social policies to combat violence and crime, remembering that the problem dates back to colonial times, the slavery of black and indigenous people.
According to him, crime and violence “continue to feed on social exclusion, poverty, unemployment, lack of sanitation, health, education, leisure and housing that, unfortunately, still persist in the country”.
Lewandowski stated that, to be successful, the fight against crime and violence must combine energetic police repression with public policies that make it possible to overcome “this true social apartheid”.
Lula's trust
Lula, in turn, highlighted at the ceremony the trust he has in the former STF minister and the expectations he has of him as head of the position.
For the President of the Republic, Lewandowski must build partnerships inside and outside Brazil to confront the “crime industry, the industry of theft of public money and the suffering of the poorest population in this country”.
“What we want is to build the necessary partnership with the governors so that we can help combat a crime that I don’t call a small thing,” he said.
“Organized crime is not something that happens in a favela, in a city, in a state, organized crime is a multinational industry that commits international crimes and organized crime is present in every activity in this country”, argued the president.
Trajectory
Born in Rio de Janeiro, the former STF minister graduated from the University of São Paulo (USP), the same institution from which he became a master and doctor and at which he has taught since 1978.
Lewandowski left his post as Supreme Court minister on April 11, 2023, after bringing forward his retirement by one month. He turned 75 on May 11 last year, the date on which he would be compulsorily retired.
Appointed to the Supreme Court in 2006 by Lula himself, his passage was marked by the so-called guaranteeism, a trend that tends to give greater weight to the rights and guarantees of defendants in proceedings. He presided over the STF and the National Council of Justice (CNJ) between 2014 and 2016, when he led the impeachment process of former president Dilma Rousseff.
He was also president of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) between 2010 and 2012. In this position, he was in charge of implementing the Clean Record Law, which had been approved in 2010.
For Lewandowski's vacancy on the STF, Lula nominated lawyer Cristiano Zanin.
Dino will take office at the STF on February 22. Until then, he resumes his seat in the Senate.
le (Agência Brasil, ots)
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