The United States government has decided to classify the Comando Vermelho (CV) and the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) as terrorist organizations. The measure, set to take effect on June 5, could make it harder for Brazil to combat organized crime, according to Rodrigo Fragoso in an interview with JOTA. A partner at Fragoso Advogados, he believes the change could expose Brazilian companies to US investigations, alter financial compliance mechanisms, and impact the right to defense in proceedings conducted under American anti-terrorism legislation.
In Rodrigo’s view, the policy adopted by the US was designed specifically to address Islamic terrorism. Therefore, it is not suited to the reality of combating drug-trafficking factions. According to him, applying this model to criminal factions could create consequences that have not yet been fully assessed, with the initial repercussions likely emerging in economic and financial relations. Fragoso notes that the new classification could influence the operations of banks, companies, and compliance programs due to the risk of sanctions related to transactions directly or indirectly linked to the organizations added to the US lists.
O criminalista também chamou atenção para efeitos processuais da medida. Na avaliação dele, a adoção de instrumentos tradicionalmente vinculados ao combate ao terrorismo pode restringir o acesso das partes a elementos probatórios e dificultar o exercício da ampla defesa em determinadas situações submetidas à jurisdição dos EUA. “E há um cerceamento grande do direito de defesa, uma vez que, ativando o arsenal militar para lidar com o processo, as partes não têm acesso às provas, não têm prazo para defesa nem foro adequado para recurso”, disse Rodrigo Fragoso ao JOTA.
Another point raised by the lawyer involves the impact on companies with no ties to criminal activity. In the criminal defense lawyer’s view, the complexity of the requirements imposed by the American system could create operational difficulties due to compliance, even for organizations with no conscious link to the groups under investigation. “No compliance program can handle absorbing the level of US demands in such a short time,” said Rodrigo Fragoso.
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