The United States Treasury Department has imposed significant sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a move directly linked to his leading role in the high-profile criminal investigation against Brazil’s former right-wing President, Jair Bolsonaro. This action marks a notable escalation in international relations, raising questions about judicial independence and foreign policy influence.
Announced on Wednesday, these Brazil Sanctions target Justice de Moraes personally, freezing all his property and assets within the United States or held by U.S. persons. The Treasury Department’s notice alleges that de Moraes has engaged in “arbitrary” pre-trial detentions, suppressed freedom of speech, and unfairly targeted political opponents in his pursuit of the case against Bolsonaro.
This decisive action by the Trump Foreign Policy administration follows earlier threats from President Trump of a 50% tariff on Brazilian products. Trump has consistently labeled the case against Bolsonaro as “unjust” and politically motivated, openly advocating for an immediate end to the proceedings. A letter from President Trump to former President Bolsonaro earlier this month underscored this position.
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent underscored the administration’s stance, stating that Alexandre de Moraes has acted as “judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against U.S. and Brazilian companies.” Bessent accused de Moraes of an “oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions that violate Human Rights Violations, and politicized prosecutions,” specifically naming Jair Bolsonaro as a target.
The sanctions against Justice de Moraes are rooted in President Trump’s first-term Executive Order 13818. This 2017 order declared a national emergency concerning global human rights abuses and corruption, building upon the 2016 Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. This legal framework empowers the President and the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to impose sanctions on foreign officials implicated in such abuses.
As the official “rapporteur,” Justice de Moraes has been pivotal in steering the investigation against Jair Bolsonaro, which centers on an alleged Bolsonaro Coup Plot. This scheme, detailed in an 884-page report by Brazilian Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, implicates Bolsonaro and 33 others in a purported plan to retain power despite losing the presidential election to the current president.
The allegations against Bolsonaro include systematically undermining national trust in the electoral system, drafting a decree to legalize the plot, pressuring high-ranking military officials to support the plan, and inciting a riot in the capital. These grave accusations form the core of the International Justice case unfolding in Brazil.
A panel of Brazilian Supreme Court justices formally accepted the charges against Bolsonaro in March, leading to an order for the former leader to stand trial. The unanimous decision by all five justices included consideration of accusations involving a plan to poison Bolsonaro’s successor and even assassinate a Supreme Court judge, highlighting the severity and complexity of the legal battle.
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