President Jair Bolsonaro (PSL) broke his silence on Thursday and downplayed the effects of the Lava Jato message leak. Last Sunday, The Intercept Brasil published messages between Minister Sergio Moro (Justice) and Lava Jato prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol that appeared to show them colluding over the course of the Lava Jato cases.
"What he [Moro] did has no price. He really put it out, showed the viscera of power, the promiscuity of power over corruption," said the president after an event at the Planalto Palace.
"Petrobras almost went broke, pension funds almost went broke, the BNDES itself - I just spoke here [in the event] - at that time spent R $ 400 billion and little delivered to fellow communists and friends of the king in here," Bolsonaro said about the Minister of Justice's legacy.
Bolsonaro also said that Moro "is part of the history of Brazil" and stated that the evidence against former President Lula, arrested after Lava Jato's investigation, was not forged.
He also questioned the veracity of the messages published by The Intercept Brazil website last Sunday (9). He added that if his private talks came to public, he would also be criticized.
"If I leak my [cell phone] here, there are many jokes I do with colleagues there who will call me again what they called me during the campaign. There was a criminal break, a criminal invasion, if it is being cast is true or not. "
When asked if it is normal for a judge and prosecutor to talk about an ongoing investigation, he returned the question about whether "talking to gunmen" is normal.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon