Brazil: Bolsonaro Appoints New Police Chief

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday appointed a new federal police chief after being prevented by the Supreme Court from appointing a family member to the post.

Already criticized for his management of the epidemic of new coronavirus, which he described as "flu" when it killed more than 7,000 people in Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro is still weakened by the accusations of interference in the work of the police advanced by its former Minister of Justice, who further erode its image with the population and even go so far as to fuel the hypothesis of a dismissal procedure.

Read also: Brazil: investigation into Moro's accusations against Bolsonaro

A decree published in the Official Journal shows that the president appointed Rolando Alexandre de Souza, who was a close associate of his first choice for the post, Alexandre Ramagem, to the federal police force within the Brazilian intelligence services (Abin ).

Jair Bolsonaro called "gossip" the accusations of his former Minister of Justice Sergio Moro that the appointment of Alexandre Ramagem, a friend of his sons, was aimed at intervening in certain sensitive investigations.

Read also: Brazil: 5000 coronavirus deaths, "so what?" says Bolsonaro

Sergio Moro, who gained popularity as a judge by imprisoning politicians, including former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and businessmen for corruption, testified on Saturday an investigation authorized by the Supreme Court into his accusations against Jair Bolsonaro.

The former justice minister, who resigned on April 24, notably presented tapes of conversations with the president, a person told the contents of his testimony told Reuters. He also said that army generals in the presidential cabinet, two of whom were active, had witnessed pressure from Jair Bolsonaro on the federal police and could confirm his statements, the source added.