Judge Sergio Moro speaks in US about benefits of Operation Car Wash

Speaking at a lecture today (Feb. 6) in the United States, Judge Sergio Moro, in charge of Operation Car Wash, said that the anti-corruption probes being conducted in Brazil targeting politicians and businesspeople will strengthen institutions as well as reinforce society's aversion to the behavior of public figures breaking the law.

Moro described online rumors according to which he is a CIA agent as a “conspiracy theory” aimed at obscuring the positive impact of the investigations.

The judge provided a full review of the operation, starting with its outset, during a conference at the Columbia University, in New York. The talk was delayed by 12 minutes due to a demonstration staged by protests carrying posters and shouting slogans against the way he has spearheaded the crackdown. In the demonstrators' view, Moro's conduct has been biased. Justice Cármen Lúcia, chief of Brazil's Supreme Court is expected to speak Tomorrow (7) at the same event.

Moro also praised the swiftness with which the probes are being carried out, saying it helps prevent actions from being obstructed, as is common when the names of big-time politicians and entrepreneurs are involved. People living in the US, he said, have no idea how many cases have been launched. “It's beyond imagination,” he stated, adding that the excessive number of suits end up making obstructive maneuvers possible. “It's a story without an end,” he remarked.

Moro likened corruption to a “tropical disease,” but noted that, luckily, in the case of Brazil, the fight against the misconduct by politicians and businesspeople is showing society the problem can be overcome.

Criticism

Sergio Moro also made comments about the accusations that Operation Car Wash is biased. “That's not true,” he rebutted. He itted that, in some cases, of the investigation team go beyond the expected, but explained that the excesses do not spoil the result of the crackdown. “Crimes are being brought to light and the prosecutors [and ] of the Judiciary branch are serious people.”

When asked by a member of the audience about the frequent leaks in the operation, Moro said that “it's difficult” to pinpoint the exact source of the information after it escapes the hands of the investigators. When further questioned about why he appears standing next to politicians targeted under Operation Car Wash, like Senator Aécio Neves, Moro explained that the pictures released were taking during a public event which happened to be attended by politicians under scrutiny.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira