The Tragedy of Brazil's Anti-Corruption Task Force

By: Brady Condon

When he was Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden called corruption a “cancer that eats away at a citizen’s faith in democracy and diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity.” One of the biggest problems facing democracy today is rampant corruption. We can see it all over the world. However, no region faces more corruption than Latin America. Brazil, Latin America’s largest country, is no stranger to corruption. In 2013, it was estimated that up to $53 billion dollars were lost to corruption in a single year. In an attempt to combat the corruption, the anti-corruption task force was formed. In its seven-year lifespan, over 200 people were convicted of corruption and over $800 million dollars were recovered. However, the anti-corruption task force came to a close last February, leaving a mixed legacy in its wake. A lot can be learned about the nature of corruption, especially from Brazil, by looking at the achievements of the Task Force, achievements which may have led to its own demise. 

The initial intent of the task force was to investigate the origins of what was eventually dubbed “Operation Carwash.” The Brazilian government owns multiple energy companies, most importantly Petrobras. Petrobras, owning about 90% of Brazil’s oil reserves, is a major player to the country’s economy. Because of their close ties to the government, government officials have often used Petrobras to fill their own pockets. In order to make money, officials at Petrobras will sell contracts to construction firms at inflated prices. In return, these firms will pay off friendly politicians, so everyone involved wins. In total, the parties involved generated about $5.3 billion for themselves. When the anti-corruption task force, revealed its findings, almost everyone in power was implicated. 

For almost two decades, the left-wing Brazilian Worker’s Party was a dominant force in politics, winning four presidential elections in a row. However, upon the findings of Operation Carwash, the party was effectively beheaded. Dilma Roussef, Brazil’s first female president, was impeached and removed over the scandal. Her successor, Michel Temer, was also implicated. Most notably, however, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, better known as Lula, was implicated as well, leading to his imprisonment. With this imprisonment, Lula was disqualified from the next presidential election.

Jair Bolsonaro is not a good man. He’s a bigot, a denier of science, and overall an unpleasant person to be around. However, because of his past flaws, he was kept far enough away from mainstream Brazilian politics to avoid being implicated with corruption. The people wanted an outsider, and Bolsonaro offered that. Even Bolsonaro’s attacks on democracy itself fell on deaf ears, as support for Brazilian democracy saw a nadir of 32%. At this point, the only candidate who could have beaten Bolsonaro was the still-popular Lula, who had been disqualified. Strangely enough, the judge who gave Lula his sentence, Sergio Moro, was later selected to be Bolsonaro’s minister of justice. 

In his two years in office, Jair Bolsonaro has brought a lot of harm to Brazil. He ignored the Amazon wildfire crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and has weakened the country’s democracy. He has also had his own fair share of corruption scandals, most notably linked to his son, Flavio Bolsonaro. Although the anti-corruption task force should not be blamed for Bolsonaro’s rise, Bolsonaro’s election was an unintended consequence of the group’s formation. Although it exposed rampant corruption to a disgusted population, it also led to its own downfall through the election of Bolsonaro. When the incumbent president chose to disband the anti-corruption task force, it did not go out with a bang, but with a whimper. In a similar fashion, if corruption continues, democracy in the country may reach the same fate.