Financial Action Task Force warned about the recent setbacks to Brazil’s efforts to fight corruption

Transparency International argues country is at odds with the international anti-money laundering regime

Transparency International submitted to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) this week a report that brings light to the many recent setbacks to Brazil’s anti-corruption legal and institutional framework. The report also includes recommendations to international organisations and Brazilian institutions on how to reverse these setbacks.

[Briefing paper: Brazil – Setbacks in the anti-corruption legal and institutional frameworks]

Among the setbacks highlighted by the organisation are a Supreme Court injunction that virtually paralysed Brazil’s anti-money laundering system, an illegal inquiry also conducted by the Supreme Court that is secretly investigating law enforcement agents, and the growing political interference in anti-corruption institutions.

The report also brings to light the National Congress’s role in weakening Brazil’s anti-corruption legal framework, by approving legislation detrimental to the independence of law enforcement agents and the accountability of political parties.

FATF members, gathered in Paris this week, have today expressed “serious concerns regarding Brazil’s ability to comply with international standards and combat money laundering,” as a result of the impact of the Supreme Court decision.

The public statement by the FATF comes on the heels of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), voicing concerns about Brazil’s recent struggles. The OECD Working Group on Bribery approved, last week, in a meeting in Paris, the sending of a high-level mission to the country with the objective of addressing these developments to strengthen Brazil’s ability to combat foreign bribery.

Both the FATF public statement and the OECD decision are welcome developments, in line with the report’s recommendations. Following the international community’s clear message of concern, it is now time for Brazilian authorities to consider the wide-ranging impact of these recent decisions and re-establish a positive agenda on the much-needed anti-corruption reforms, such as the ‘New Measures against Corruption’.

Transparency International stands with the many representatives of Brazilian public institutions, politicians, businesses executives and civil society organisations that are engaged in securing the continuation of the country’s progress in the fight against corruption and impunity.

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In Brazil, please contact

CDI Comunicação
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Gislene Rosa, +55 11 3817-7919, [email protected]
Jorge Valério, +55 11 3817-8002, [email protected]