Latest news with #JorgeMessias


The Star
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Senior Brazilian official says judiciary won't be intimidated by US visa bans
FILE PHOTO: Brazil's Attorney-General of the Union, Jorge Messias attends a press conference, in Brasilia, Brazil July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil's judiciary will not be intimidated by a U.S. decision to target officials involved in the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro with visa bans, a senior judicial official said late on Friday, criticising the move as arbitrary. In an escalation of tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and the government of Latin America's largest economy, Washington imposed visa restrictions on Friday on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, his family and other unnamed court officials. The visa bans were a response to the Supreme Court's decision to issue search warrants and restraining orders targeting Trump ally Bolsonaro, who is accused of plotting a coup to overturn the results of a 2022 election he lost. Solicitor general Jorge Messias, the top judicial official for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's executive branch, said in a statement posted on X that Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet was also targeted by the ban. "Rest assured that no improper maneuver or sordid conspiratorial act will intimidate our country's judiciary in the independent and dignified exercise of its task," he added. Messias said the Brazilian officials were subject to "arbitrary acts of visa revocation by a foreign nation on account of their fulfillment of their legitimate institutional responsibilities in accordance with constitutional terms." In addition to Moraes, seven other justices from Brazil's 11-member Supreme Court were also hit by the U.S. visa restrictions, Government Institutional Relations Minister Gleisi Hoffmann said on Friday. They include justices Luis Roberto Barroso, Dias Toffoli, Cristiano Zanin, Flavio Dino, Carmen Lucia, Edson Fachin, and Gilmar Mendes. The Prosecutor General's Office and the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump has criticised the proceedings against Bolsonaro as a "witch hunt", a term he has used to describe his own treatment by political opponents, and has called for the charges to be dropped. In a letter last week, he announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods starting August 1, opening the message with criticism of the trial. Bolsonaro is on trial before Brazil's Supreme Court on charges of plotting a coup to stop Lula from taking office in January 2023. The right-wing firebrand has denied that he led an attempt to overthrow the government but has acknowledged taking part in meetings aimed at reversing the election's outcome. (Reporting by Marcela Ayres; Editing by Joe Bavier)
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Brazil urges trade talks with U.S. after Trump tariff hike
BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazil on Wednesday urged the U.S. to respond to a trade proposal submitted in May, reaffirming its openness to a "mutually acceptable" deal after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods starting in August. In a joint statement, Brazil's Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Ministry of Development said the government had sent a letter on Tuesday, reinforcing its May 16 negotiating proposal. Vice President Geraldo Alckmin noted on Monday that the May offer had gone unanswered. "In light of the urgency of the matter, the Brazilian government reiterates its interest in receiving comments from the U.S. government on the proposal," the statement said, suggesting there were "areas of negotiation where we could further explore mutually agreed solutions." Brazil also expressed "indignation" at the planned increase in tariffs from 10% to 50% on its exports to the United States, warning of a "very negative" impact on both economies. The letter from Brasilia also noted that Latin America's largest economy has run persistent trade deficits with the United States in both goods and services, totaling nearly $410 billion over the past 15 years. The statement came a day after U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced an investigation into what he described as Brazil's "unfair" trade practices. Brazil's Solicitor General Jorge Messias said on Wednesday that the U.S. had apparently launched that probe because of the weakness of the initial U.S. case for imposing the 50% tariffs. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data


Reuters
16-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Brazil urges trade talks with U.S. after Trump tariff hike
BRASILIA/SAO PAULO, July 16 (Reuters) - Brazil on Wednesday urged the U.S. to respond to a trade proposal submitted in May, reaffirming its openness to a "mutually acceptable" deal after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods starting in August. In a joint statement, Brazil's Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Ministry of Development said the government had sent a letter on Tuesday, reinforcing its May 16 negotiating proposal. Vice President Geraldo Alckmin noted on Monday that the May offer had gone unanswered. "In light of the urgency of the matter, the Brazilian government reiterates its interest in receiving comments from the U.S. government on the proposal," the statement said, suggesting there were "areas of negotiation where we could further explore mutually agreed solutions." Brazil also expressed "indignation" at the planned increase in tariffs from 10% to 50% on its exports to the United States, warning of a "very negative" impact on both economies. The letter from Brasilia also noted that Latin America's largest economy has run persistent trade deficits with the United States in both goods and services, totaling nearly $410 billion over the past 15 years. The statement came a day after U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced an investigation into what he described as Brazil's "unfair" trade practices. Brazil's Solicitor General Jorge Messias said on Wednesday that the U.S. had apparently launched that probe because of the weakness of the initial U.S. case for imposing the 50% tariffs.

The Standard
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Standard
Brazil says US opened trade probe because of 'weak' case for tariffs
Brazil's Attorney-General of the Union, Jorge Messias, attends a press conference in Brasilia, Brazil July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Adriano Machado


Bloomberg
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Lula Appeals to Brazil Supreme Court to Uphold Tax Hike Plan
Brazil's government will appeal to the Supreme Court to try to save a controversial tax decree overturned by Congress, escalating a fight between President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and lawmakers over the administration's efforts to shore up its budget. The government will ask the top court to restore the decree, arguing that the move to overturn it was unconstitutional and violated the separation of powers, Attorney General Jorge Messias told reporters at a Tuesday morning press conference.