President Lula vetoed on Tuesday (29) the excerpt from a bill that provided for the reduction of the minimum penalty for the crime of money laundering in Brazil. The decision was published on Tuesday (29) in the Federal Official Gazette and reaches the amendment in Law No. 9,613/1998, which deals with the concealment of property, rights and values from criminal offense.
Currently, the penalty for this type of crime ranges from three to ten years in prison. The proposal approved by the National Congress provided that the new interval was two to 12 years. For the government, the reduction of the minimum limit would result in the weakening of the legal framework that fights this type of illicit activity.
In the message sent to the Legislature, Lula argued that the measure contradicts the public interest and could compromise the instruments of repression and control of illegal financial operations. The veto was recommended by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, which assessed that the change would have a negative impact on current legislation.
The vetoed stretch was included in a broader project that dealt with increased penalty for theft and theft of power cables and telecommunication. These parts were sanctioned and transformed into Law No. 15,181/2025, raising the penalties for this type of offense.
Congress has up to 30 days to decide whether to keep or overthrow the presidential veto. Meanwhile, current penalties for money laundering remains in force, with imprisonment between three and ten years, and a fine.
