Background and Significance of Fernando Collor de Mello
Fernando Collor de Mello, Brazil’s first popularly elected president following the restoration of democracy after the military dictatorship (1964-1985), was arrested on Friday by order of the Supreme Court, according to a police source.
Fernando Collor de Mello, 75, was apprehended in Maceió, Alagoas state (northeast), reported a source speaking on condition of anonymity. He had been sentenced in 2023 to eight years and ten months in prison for corruption in an investigation stemming from the massive Lava Jato case.
Details of the Arrest
According to his defense, Collor was detained “at 4 a.m.” as he prepared to travel to Brasilia to comply with the court decision, stated a note cited by the press.
Collor must remain under custody in Maceió “until a decision by the STF,” Supreme Federal Court, said the police source. Local media claim he will be transferred to Brasilia to begin serving his sentence.
The court found him guilty of receiving 20 million reais (approximately $3.5 million at the current exchange rate) while serving as a senator between 2010 and 2014 to “illegally facilitate contracts” between a construction company and an ex-subsidiary of the Brazilian state-owned oil company Petrobras.
The arrest warrant was issued by Judge Alexandre de Moraes of the STF and must be ratified by the court’s plenary on Friday.
Judge’s Justification
Moraes justified his decision by considering that the resources presented by Collor’s defense against the 2023 conviction were “merely dilatory.”
Collor’s lawyers received the ruling “with surprise and concern,” according to a note sent to the press.
Shared Fate Among Brazilian Ex-Presidents
Collor is not the only Brazilian ex-president facing legal issues. Since the end of the military dictatorship (1964-1985), four out of seven occupants of the Planalto Presidential Palace have been convicted, imprisoned, or removed from office at some point.
Furthermore, far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) is on the verge of being tried for attempting a coup after being defeated while seeking re-election.
Elected by universal suffrage for the first time after the military regime, Collor generated significant expectations when he took office. However, he resigned from the presidency in 1992 due to corruption allegations.
In 1989, he defeated leftist leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the polls.
Lula, who served as president from 2003 to 2010, spent 18 months in jail between 2018 and 2019, also under the Lava Jato investigation.
Lula’s conviction was eventually annulled by the Supreme Court, and the leftist leader returned to Planalto in 2023.
After resigning amid street protests, Collor managed to return to politics in 2006, being elected senator for Alagoas, a poor northeastern state. He held that position until 2022.
As a senator, Collor “used his political-party influence to promote appointments in the board of a Petrobras fuel distribution subsidiary and steer contracts,” according to the Supreme Court.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who is Fernando Collor de Mello? He was Brazil’s first popularly elected president after the military dictatorship, serving from 1990 to 1992.
- Why was he arrested? Collor was arrested on corruption charges related to the Lava Jato investigation, in which he was found guilty of accepting illicit funds while serving as a senator between 2010 and 2014.
- What is the Lava Jato case? Lava Jato, or “Car Wash,” is a massive corruption investigation in Brazil that uncovered a scheme involving inflated contracts between construction companies and Petrobras, the state-owned oil company.
- What is Collor’s political background? After resigning from the presidency in 1992 due to corruption allegations, Collor returned to politics in 2006 as a senator for Alagoas. He supported Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 elections before his term ended in 2022.
