Weekly Report - 25 September 2008 (ISSN 1741-7422)

Brazil's top public security agencies came under renewed pressure last week, following the revelation that 52 agents of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) participated in a federal police investigation illegally. According to the local press, President Lula da Silva has decided not to restore the agency's suspended director-general, Paulo Lacerda, who had authorised Abin agents to participate in the investigation without a court order. The federal police face problems of their own: the force's second-in-command, Romero Menezes, was arrested accused of leaking confidential information and corruption.