Lula defends reciprocity in case of “American abuse” against PF delegate

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that if there was “American abuse” in relation to the Federal Police delegate, involved in the arrest of former deputy Alexandre Ramagem, who had his departure from US territory determined by the US government this Monday (20), Brazil will be able to act reciprocally.

“I don’t know what happened. I was informed this morning. I think that, if there was American abuse towards our police officer, we will do reciprocity with theirs in Brazil. There is no conversation”, Lula told journalists this Tuesday (21), in Germany, where he is fulfilling a series of official agendas.

The president concluded by saying: “We want things to happen as correctly as possible, but we cannot accept this interference, this abuse of authority that some American figures want to have in relation to Brazil.”

This Monday (20), the United States Office for Western Hemisphere Affairs reported having requested the departure of a “Brazilian official” from US territory. Although the post did not mention names, the text indicated that it was a Federal Police delegate.

Find out more: Ramagem could be deported to serve his sentence in Brazil

The US Office for Western Hemisphere Affairs insinuated, in posts made on social media, that the delegate had manipulated the country’s immigration system “to circumvent formal extradition requests and extend political persecution to United States territory”. So far, neither the PF nor Itamaraty has commented on the request to leave.

The PF delegate — identified by the Brazilian press as Marcelo Ivo de Carvalho — participated in the operation that, last week, arrested former Bolsonaro deputy Alexandre Ramagem (PL-RJ) in Orlando, Florida.

Ramagem was on the run and sentenced to prison in Brazil to serve a 16-year sentence for attempted coup d’état and other crimes related to the plot, which also led to the arrest of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and other allies and high-ranking military personnel. The arrest was made by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

The Federal Police reported that “the arrest resulted from international police cooperation between the Federal Police and US police authorities. The prisoner is considered a fugitive from Brazilian justice after being convicted of the crimes of armed criminal organization, coup d’état and attempted violent abolition of the rule of law.”

Ramagem was released on Wednesday (15) and remains in US territory. In a video, he thanked Donald Trump’s government leadership for his release. The Bolsonarista requested political asylum in the USA, while the Brazilian government seeks his extradition to serve his sentence in the country.