| Sports |
by GARY DUFFY
Bending rules, breaking laws in Brazil
Sao Paulo: Brazilians could be
forgiven for sinking into despair under the weight of corruption
allegations that are currently filling their daily newspapers. A
wide-ranging police investigation into the misuse of money for
public works projects has targeted governors, an ex-governor,
several mayors and ex-mayors as well as high-level state and
federal employees. A government minister, who denies any
wrongdoing, has resigned.
The government has admitted that every year, billions of dollars
are lost through fraud in tendering for public contracts. A vivid
illustration of this is a picture, widely published in the
Brazilian media, of a bridge with no connecting road serving as an
improvised snooker hall. It was built, of course, with public
money.
The scandals do not just involve the abuse of contracts for public
works. Earlier this year, more than 20 people, including judges
and prosecutors, were arrested over allegations related to illegal
gambling.
Even the home of the brother of president Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva was searched as part of an investigation into illegal slot
machines. Lula said he did not believe his brother was involved,
although he praised the overall police operation.
Some would argue that the relentless arrests of recent weeks is
proof that the system works, and that the federal police are doing
their job. But statistics support the argument that much
wrongdoing in Brazil goes unpunished despite many high-profile
investigations.
A columnist in the weekly magazine Veja points to a previous
scandal known as Operation Bloodsucker, which involved the
purchase of overpriced ambulances. On the day it was exposed, 48
people were arrested. One year later, Andre Petry points out,
no-one is in prison. Of 72 parliamentarians suspected of
involvement, none has lost office.
Paulo Renato de Souza of opposition party PSDB says impunity plays
a big role – anyone with a lot of money and a good lawyer can
frustrate the process with endless delays and appeals, and
therefore avoid punishment.
“The legal procedures for a prosecution in Brazil are very
complicated. This is something that is very good for the lawyers,
but not for society,” he says.
So is there too much tolerance in Brazil of bending the rules and
breaking the law? One key part of life in Brazil is the jeito or
jeitinho – the “little way” – a word that can sum up finding a
means to get round everything from red tape to avoiding a fine.
Many jeitinhos can be as harmless as jumping a queue, or an
inventive method of overcoming the perils of bureaucracy, or using
a friend to get something done. But further down this path the
lines can become blurred.
A survey last year suggested 69% of Brazilians believed they had
broken a law, while 75% admitted to irregularities, including
receiving benefits to which they were not entitled, buying
products they knew to be stolen, or presenting false medical
certificates to excuse themselves from work. The survey also
indicated a high level of tolerance for corruption in politics.
Silvia Cervellini of market research company IBOPE says there was
shock at the conclusions.
“Everybody had this feeling but when you put a number – 75%
tolerate political corruption – that is a bad surprise. People
somehow knew that we were in this direction, they didn’t know the
size of it.”
Eduardo Suplicy, of president Lula’s Workers’ Party, a
longstanding campaigner against corruption, finds the public anger
over recent allegations is encouraging.
“You have mentioned that there are so many Brazilians with a great
sense of indignation because of many cases that are happening.
This is good, this shows that there is no general acceptance of
corruption, of misbehaviour in Brazil.
“The majority of Brazilians are honest people, and they want their
politicians to behave in an honest way.”
It is a simple aspiration, but on the present evidence, one for
which the people may have to wait for some time to come. – BBC
 
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