Lula’s government kicks off “clean up” at Ministry of Climate and Environment

The administration of president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) took broad action and exonerated at once practically all regional and state superintendents for Ibama (Brazilian environmental agency). The dismissals were published on a special edition of the Official Diary of the Union on the evening of Friday, January 13th. 

Ibama has 26 state offices across the country; according to newspaper Folha de São Paulo, during Bolsonaro’s administration the agency was used to accommodate his allies in strategic positions. Former minister Ricardo Salles and former Ibama’s president Ricardo Bim, for instance, appointed several military police officers to lead the civil agency’ s offices. In some cases, those nominated were accused by public servants and experts of harassment, persecution and conflict of interests. 

The current administration now changed 20 out of 26 Ibama’s chiefs at states; the move also affected first tier officials for the Minister of Climate and Environment and its associated secretaries, agencies and governing bodies. 

A week before, on January 2nd, Lula’s government had already exonerated 1.204 public servants who worked under Bolsonaro.  Advisors and directors occupying positions of trust in the previous administration were dismissed following orders signed by Lula’s chief of staff, Rui Costa, as published in the Official Diary of the Union. 

This first wave of exonerations hit federal ministries and agencies, as well as the Presidency structure. A total of 7 ministries were affected, including the Ministry of the Environment, as well as direct advisors and staff for the president ‘s personal team.  The dismissals also swept through the Secretary for Strategic Issues (Homeland) and federal autarchies such as the National Indigenous Foundation (FUNAI), Instituto Chico Mendes for Biodiversity and Conservation as well as the above mentioned environmental agency Ibama.