30-year prison sentence and police infiltration: what Lula’s “Anti-Faction Project” says

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) stated in a post on social media this Friday, the 31st, that, with the ‘PL Antifaction’, the government will show “how to combat” organized crime. The president confirmed that he signed and will send the text of the project to Congress this Friday, the 31st, which, according to him, brings mechanisms that increase the power of the State to “financially asphyxiate” the factions.

“We are going to show how to confront criminal factions here in this country, how to confront organized crime, how to confront those who live off the exploitation of the most humble people in this country,” said Lula.

See points of the proposal:

30 year sentence

The government’s project increases the sentences of those who are part of factions to up to 30 years. The project also guarantees instruments that shield public bodies from the actions of members of criminal organizations. Lula said that the groups will only be defeated through a “joint effort from all spheres of power”.

“The factions will only be defeated with the joint effort of all spheres of power. Political differences cannot be a pretext for us to stop moving forward. Therefore, I trust in the commitment of parliamentarians for the rapid processing and approval of our projects. Brazilian families deserve this dedication”, said Lula on social media, also making reference to the so-called Security PEC, in addition to the Antifaction PL.

Urgent request to Congress

Lula highlighted that the text will be sent to Congress with “extreme urgency”. He signed the bill this Friday, the 31st, after meetings with the ministers of Justice, Ricardo Lewandowski, the Attorney General of the Union, Jorge Messias, the Minister of Defense, José Múcio, and the Secretary of Social Communication, Sidônio Palmeira, to hammer out the text.

Creation of new criminal type

The anti-faction PL, as it has been called by the government, brings changes to a series of legislation, such as the Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Heinous Crimes Law, the Temporary Prison Law and the Criminal Execution Law. It foresees the establishment of a new criminal type (qualified criminal organization).

New ways of investigating

The project also creates new investigative tools, such as the possibility of infiltrating police agents into companies being investigated for being used as a front for money laundering for criminal factions.

The text had been being processed by the government for some time. It was presented by the Minister of Justice, Ricardo Lewandowski, on October 22, but gained more strength after the mega-operation in Rio de Janeiro against the criminal group Comando Vermelho and the national repercussion of the case.

The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Ricardo Lewandowski, stated that the federal government wants to combat organized crime “within the Democratic Rule of Law”, as is typical of “governments that respect fundamental rights”. His statement took place during the PL Antifaction sanctioning ceremony this Friday, 31st, a text of the government’s reaction after the mega-operation that left 121 people dead in Rio.

“It is a great advance, it is an energetic fight against criminal factions. But it is important to say that they will be fought within the Democratic Rule of Law, as is typical of a republican government, a modern government and a government that respects fundamental rights and guarantees”, said Lewandowski.