US Treasury lifts sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court judge

The US Treasury Department on Friday lifted sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Washington imposed sanctions on Moraes in July before targeting his wife, Vivian Parsi de Moraes, a few months later.

But the sanctions were later eased as the two countries sought to mend strained relations.

A senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration said that, continued inclusion on the sanctions list is contrary to the interests of US foreign policy.

Moraes welcomed the lifting of sanctions, saying in Brasilia: “I believed, I still do… that once the truth reaches the US authorities, it will triumph”.

“The truth is, thanks to the efforts of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his entire team, I won,” he added.

Last month, after a series of negotiations, the Trump administration exempted major Brazilian exports from hefty tariffs of 40% on beef, coffee and tomatoes.

Trump imposed the additional fees in response to the trial of his ally Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro, who belongs to the far-right, has been serving a 27-year prison sentence since November, after being convicted of conspiracy to prevent President Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 elections.

Lula and Trump agreed in a phone call this month to step up cooperation in the fight against organized crime, after their first formal meeting in October.

That marked an improvement in relations after months of tension between Brasilia and Washington.

A Trump administration official said Friday that the United States sees the passage of a pardon bill by the Brazilian House of Representatives as an important step in the right direction, indicating an improvement in the legal situation in Brazil.

Earlier this year, US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said at the time of the sanctions that Moraes had personally assumed the role of judge and jury in an unlawful campaign of persecution against US and Brazilian citizens and companies.

The US Treasury statement announcing the sanctions accused Moraes of using his position to issue arbitrary pretrial arrest warrants and suppress freedom of expression.

On Friday, sanctions were also lifted on a company in São Paulo linked to his family.