Brazil Cracks Down on Corruption as Never Before
Brazilian Justice Minister Marcio Thomaz Bastos has stressed Sunday that Brazil has never fought corruption with such force and efficacy as nowadays, although strong crack downs can give the erroneous idea that this evil has increased.

The interior minister said the federal government is committed to a historical fight against corruption as the federal police carried out 45 large operations in the past two years arresting 819 people, including 276 public employees such as judges, politicians, 120 police agents and business representatives from 27 states.

The Brazilian authorities dismantled -in just four operations- bands that had deviated more than 2.7 billion reales ($1 billion) from the state coffers.

The Accounting General Office developed 5,844 audits on federal institutions and handed over to the National Audit Office 2,461 special accounts with a potential return to the national coffers of 724 million reales ($268 million).

Bastos also referred to the creation of the National Illicit Assets Department to fight the money laundering. The department has already been able to track and block more than $300 million.

The minister highlighted that the crack down on corruption started following the election of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a man with a personal history marked by ethics and the commitment of democratic transformation of institutions in Brazil.