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| - A Brazilian Supreme Court judge blocked President Jair Bolsonaro's pick for federal police chief Wednesday, amid accusations the far-right leader made the appointment to stave off investigations targeting him and his family. After days of uproar over Bolsonaro's decision to replace the head of the federal police, the judge ruled that accusations of a conflict of interest were strong enough to issue a temporary injunction blocking the president's appointment of a family friend, Alexandre Ramagem, to the post. Judge Alexandre de Moraes issued the ruling hours before Ramagem, previously the head of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency, was to be sworn in. There is plausible evidence that Bolsonaro "failed to observe the constitutional principles of impartiality, morality and public interest" in making the appointment, he wrote in his ruling. The full court must now rule whether Ramagem's appointment should go ahead. Bolsonaro sacked the previous head of the federal police, Mauricio Valeixo, last week. The controversial decision led popular justice minister Sergio Moro to resign in protest. In a scathing last press conference, Moro accused Bolsonaro of "political interference" in the police's work. Moro, a former judge, is an anti-corruption hero to many Brazilians. He shot to fame for presiding over "Operation Car Wash," a huge graft investigation that took down some of the biggest names in Brazilian politics and business, including ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Following Moro's accusations, another Supreme Court judge ordered an investigation into whether Bolsonaro committed crimes including obstruction of justice. The federal police are reportedly investigating multiple cases involving Bolsonaro's inner circle, including allegations his son Carlos, a Rio de Janeiro city councilor, oversaw a fake-news campaign to benefit his father. Bolsonaro defended his pick for federal police chief Sunday with a defiant "So what?" He sarcastically asked if Ramagem should be "banned" just because he is a family friend. "Whose friend am I supposed to pick?" he said. mel/jhb/jm
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