President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) sanctioned, this Wednesday (29), a law that promotes changes in legislation to strengthen the fight against organized crime and expand the protection of authorities and public servants in this area. The measure was published in the Official Gazette this Thursday (30).
According to the text, the new law defines two new models of crime for those who “prevent, embarrass or retaliate against the regular progress of processes or investigation of crimes committed by a criminal organization or the approval of any measure against organized crime”. They are:
• Obstruction of actions against organized crime
• Conspiracy to obstruct actions against organized crime For both types, the penalty is 4 to 12 years in prison, in addition to a fine.
The law also focuses on the personal security of authorities involved in the fight against crime, to expand protection to judges, members of the Public Ministry, police officers and military personnel – including retirees –, as well as their families, when they are at risk due to the exercise of their duties.
In both cases of obstruction and conspiracy, the new law determines that those convicted must begin serving their sentences in maximum security federal prisons. The measure comes into force this Thursday (30), the date on which it was published.
