Brazil, US ink cooperation deal on security

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security signed institutional cooperation agreements with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security to share information on the work of criminal and terrorist groups.

The deals were signed by Brazilian Federal Police Director-General Maurício Valeixo during President Bolsonaro’s visit to the US, which ended yesterday (Mar. 19). The initiative aims at the joint fight against transnational organized crime, bolstering existing cooperation efforts between the two nations, the ministry reported.

The pact with the FBI, the ministry went on to say, includes the exchange of information for identifying fingerprints in criminal investigations.

The partnership with the US Department for Homeland Security, in turn, enables the exchange of officials in programs developed by the two countries, especially with a view to facilitating the exchange of information on threats on the national borders of both Brazil and the US.

Meetings

Also during Bolsonaro’s trip, Minister Sergio Moro seized the opportunity provided by the meetings with US leaders to talk about an anti-crime law that the government submitted to Congress proposing changes to a number of laws to combat corruption, violent crimes, and criminal organization.

Also mentioned were the work of criminal organizations in Brazil and the measures to confront them adopted by the state, like the recent relocation of ring leaders to federal maximum security penitentiaries, and the importance of Brazil’s joining the Budapest Convention—an international treaty signed at the European Council on cybercrime.