Brazil Justice Minister resigns after Bolsonaro fires police chief

Brazil Justice Minister Sergio Moro on Friday resigned as a mark of protest after President Jair Bolsonaro fired the police federal chief.

Brazil Justice Minister Sergio Moro on Friday resigned as a mark of protest after President Jair Bolsonaro fired the police federal chief. Moro, who is a former federal judge, became the face of the powerful anti-corruption crackdown that swept Latin America.

In his resignation speech, Moro accused the president of seeking to erode the political autonomy of the federal police and put it at the service of his political ambitions, the New York Times reported. Moro said he urged Bolsonaro to reconsider the implication of his plan but said the president was determined to have a federal police chief.

The resignation set off a political uproar Brazil which like others is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, Bolsonaro sacked health minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta after the latter criticized the president for refusing to abide by the ministry's social distancing guidelines amid coronavirus crisis. (ANI)