Lewandowski dodges provocations from Bolsonaristas in

The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Ricardo Lewandowski, avoided the confrontation during a hearing held this Tuesday (16) at the Public Security and Combating Organized Crime Commission of the Chamber of Deputies. The group, dominated by Bolsonarism, used the session to try to destabilize the minister – and the federal government as a whole –, but Lewandowski’s stance may have disappointed parliamentarians.

During the session, the Minister of Justice heard a series of criticisms of his predecessor, Flávio Dino, one of the main targets of Bolsonaro’s anger since the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). He was also asked, almost always in a critical and/or provocative tone, about the escapes from the maximum security federal prison in Mossoró (RN), the temporary “leaks” of prisoners and the current government’s policies on weapons.

Maintaining his traditional calm posture and measured tone of voice, Lewandowski said that he will appear before the commission and the Chamber whenever invited, but stated that it would not be necessary, as the Ministry of Justice has its doors open to deputies. During the session, some deputies, including those from the opposition, confirmed that they had been received by the minister – and thanked him.

When talking about the work of his administration, which has not yet completed three months, the holder of the Justice portfolio made it clear that the escape of prisoners in Mossoró, two weeks after he took office, was a remarkable episode, but he promised that he will not return to be repeated.

“Nobody expected it, nobody wanted it. I, with a few days of exercise under my belt, was surprised”, he said, regarding the episode. “I guarantee it was the only one and it will be the last [fuga]”, he highlighted. The minister said that the prison is obsolete, that there has been a relaxation in surveillance, a breach of security protocols and equipment failures.

According to Lewandowski, the episode resulted in increased security in all federal prisons. Furthermore, he recalled that the administration of the unit in Rio Grande do Sul was dismissed, and assured that the structural issues at the location have been overcome.

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) has been, since the beginning of 2023, a battlefront chosen by the opposition to attack the Lula government. The previous holder of the portfolio, Flávio Dino, now minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), went to Congress several times, also to provide clarifications at the request of the CSP. He refused three other invitations to return, and was reported to the Attorney General’s Office (PGR).

In mid-March, the president of the commission, Alberto Fraga (PL-DF), temporarily removed from the Commission’s agenda a set of four requests that called for Lewandowski to be summoned. The initiative came after the minister called Fraga for a conversation at the Ministry’s headquarters, but the requests returned to the agenda a few days later and were approved by the group’s members.

Editing: Thalita Pires