MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian Senate agrees to two more years of Augusto Aras as Attorney General

Aras is critical of special task forces like the one created for LavaJato

Brazil's Senate Tuesday approved by 55 votes against 10 and one abstention in a secret ballot to extend Augusto Aras' tenure as Attorney General for two more years.

Aras had been nominated for the position by President Jair Bolsonaro and had to spend six hours before the Senate's Constitution and Justice Committee before the issue was put up for voting.

To be reappointed, Aras needed 41 votes of the 81 senators. In 2019, Aras' approval was granted by 68 votes to 10. At the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ), he received 21 votes in favor and six against.

The Office of the Attorney General is responsible for requesting the opening of inquiries to investigate the president of the republic, ministers, deputies and senators and may file complaints against holders of privileged jurisdiction.

Aras was first appointed to the PGR in 2019 by President Jair Bolsonaro. At the time, his name was not among the three most voted on the triple list drawn up by the National Association of Attorneys of the Republic (ANPR).

In July of this year, Bolsonaro appointed Aras for a new term at the head of the Federal Public Ministry. Once again, the ANPR triple list was ignored by the president — although this has become a tradition, he is under no obligation to nominate anyone from the list.

According to the Constitution, it is up to the Senate to debate and vote on the nominees to head the Public Ministry.

The 62-year-old Aras is specialized in public law and economic law. He was born in Salvador, Bahia, on December 4, 1958, and holds a PhD in constitutional law from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (2005); Master in Economic Law from the Federal University of Bahia (2000); graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the Catholic University of Salvador (1981). He is also a law professor at the University of Brasília (UnB). He joined the MPF in 1987 as a public prosecutor.

The Attorney General represents the Public Prosecutor's Office before the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and also discharges the duties of electoral attorney general.

In the STF, the attorney general has, among other prerogatives, the function of proposing direct actions of unconstitutionality (ADI) and public criminal actions.

It is also up to the attorney general to request the opening of inquiries to investigate the president of the republic, ministers, deputies and senators. He also has the prerogative to file complaints in these cases. Although the Office can still create task forces for special investigations, Aras is critical of the model, especially the one used in Lava Jato.