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AFP
Sergio Moro met Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday at his home in Rio de Janeiro
Brazilian right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro has persuaded prominent anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro to head the country's justice ministry.
Mr Moro said Thursday that it was an "honor" to be appointed Minister for Justice and Public Security.
But his appointment is likely to fuel allegations that his big anti-fraud investigation was politically motivated.
The Car Wash operation, as its investigation was known, was accused of unfair targeting of left-wing politicians.
His biggest scalp was former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had played a leading role in the elections before he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for corruption.
Bolsonaro won a stellar election victory earlier this week.
He is a polarizing figure, whose praise of the former dictatorship of Brazil and his comments on race, women and homosexuality have raised concerns.
- Jair Bolsonaro: The trump of the tropics?
- What is Operation Car Wash?
Mr Bolsonaro said earlier this week that he wanted Mr Moro to be the Minister of Justice, saying that he was a person "of utmost importance in a government like ours" .
The two men met in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.
"Federal Judge Sergio Moro has accepted our invitation to be Minister of Justice and Public Security, and his anti-corruption, anti-organized crime agenda and his respect for the constitution and the law will be our guiding principle!" Mr. Bolsonaro tweeted.
Mr. Moro then confirmed in a statement that he had "accepted the invitation as an honor".
Who is Sergio Moro?
The federal judge was tasked with the Car Wash operation, a major investigation into allegations that officials of the state oil company Petrobras allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for the award. contracts to construction companies.
He uncovered a vast network of corruption involving high-level politicians from a wide range of parties.
His crusade against corruption has made him a hero for many, but others accuse him of taking disproportionate measures to target left-wing politicians, especially those of the former Workers Party. in power.
Former President Lula has repeatedly stated that he was the victim of a political witch hunt.
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Mr Moro, who in 2016 had told the O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper that he would never engage in politics, said that he was now going to entrust his investigative work to the company. 39, other judges.
What is Mr. Bolsonaro likely to do in his duties?
Mr. Bolsonaro is committed to relaxing Brazilian firearms laws before he takes office on January 1, 2019. He insists that more firearms will help to reduce crime, but critics warn that such a decision will only exacerbate violent crime in Brazil.
The elected president also said that he:
- remove government media advertising that he found to be "lying"
- open protected lands to road and infrastructure projects
- reduce the budget deficit and private state-owned enterprises
Bolsonaro heads the Social Liberal Party (PSL), an anti-establishment group that combines social conservatism and market-friendly policies.
In the past, he defended the assassination of opponents to the country's former military regime and said he was "in favor of dictatorship".
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However, as the election results appeared Sunday night, he told his supporters that he would be a "champion of democracy" and that he would respect the constitution.
He also pledged to reduce state intervention in the economy and said that Brazil could withdraw from the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
It is not clear whether Mr Bolsonaro will be able to see all his policies go through Congress.
