Brazil's FBI takes on corrupt bigwigs

Brazil's Federal Police are not known for having a gentle approach, and the code names given to some of their high-profile operations confirm their hard-core tactics.

Operations Bloodsuckers, Locust, Gladiator, and Razor have all seen agents storm buildings recently and emerge with men in handcuffs.

The anti-graft operations have resulted in dozens of high-profile arrests, marking a potentially new phase in Brazil's seemingly endless fight against graft.

For the first time in recent history the Federal Police and other watchdog bodies like the public prosecutor's office and the federal accounting court are taking serious aim at corruption, civil rights experts say.

The often heavy-handed Federal Police – a body akin to the US's Federal Bureau of Investigation – are a long way from perfect, but they are more diligent and independent than they once were, experts say. And now they are providing some hope that the corruption that blights Brazilian society is beatable.

"These institutions are the ones that are contributing," says Ricardo Ismael, a lecturer in public policy at the Catholic Pontificate University in Rio de Janeiro. "If it wasn't for them, we would be even further behind in identifying irregularities."

The irregularities are legion, as recent raids have shown.

In Operation Check Mate this month, police questioned President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's brother about suspicions that he used his influence to try to benefit members of a contraband gang that smuggled electronic components into Brazil for use in illegal gambling machines. Another 87 people were detained in the raids and accused of crimes ranging from tax evasion to extortion.

Last month, in Operation Razor, Federal Police arrested nearly 50 politicians, lobbyists, and businessmen, and dismantled what they say was a complicated kickbacks scheme tied to public-works projects. Under the scheme, a construction company convinced legislators to solicit infrastructure projects for their states or municipalities in return for a fat gratuity. In some cases, the projects were never carried out; in others they were incomplete. Energy Minister Silas Rondeau resigned in the wake of the operation, which has raised concerns over Lula's four-year, $250 billion plan of investment in roads.

Brazil's costly struggle with graft

Such tales are hardly new in Brazil, a country where successful politicians have long been celebrated with the phrase, "Rouba mas faz," meaning, "He steals, but he gets things done."

Inflated public-works projects and government purchases cost the state between $13 billion and $20 billion each year, according to a recent government report.

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