The Court of Auditors judged, on Wednesday 15th, the audit which highlighted the issuing of documents of hunters, shooters and collectors (CAC) for over 5.2 thousand convicted of crimes such as murder and drug trafficking and 2.6 thousand with warrants open stops; The army has not yet responded
BRASILIA – The Federal Court of Auditors (TCU) ruled, on Wednesday 15th, that the Army cancel the authorizations granted to hunters, shooters and collectors (CAC) convicted or who have pending arrest warrants. The ruling is based on the audit carried out by the technical area of the court – and detected by the Estadao – who pointed out that the Army has issued firearms to people convicted of crimes such as drug trafficking, murder and domestic violence.
Despite ratifying most of the technical notes, the Court of Auditors’ plenary spared military personnel from investigations that could hold them responsible for arms control deficiencies. One of the points ignored was the failure to comply with a 2017 decision that forced the Army to digitize the inspection system for controlled products. Seven years later, the Force has gained another year to comply with the order, a period which could be extended, provided it is justified.
The representation of the Prosecutor’s Office at the TCU defined the trial as being of “extreme relevance for the nation” and of “maximum urgency for the public security of the country”. Despite this, the debate lasted about ten minutes, with the vote of the rapporteur, Minister Antonio Anastasia, presented in an abbreviated form, without oral defenses from the bodies involved and without debate in plenary.
During the audit, the technical area found itself faced with what it defined as a “lack of reliable data” from the Army and a “decentralization” of information which “made it difficult to evaluate and monitor activities inspections and inspections”. Despite the record, the minister-rapporteur underlined, in his vote, “the collaborative attitude” and the “total interest of the current administration of the Army command in making these adjustments”.
In addition to determining the cancellations, the Court of Auditors also obliged the military to consult the police and judiciary databases to verify the criminal implications against those who apply to be registered as CAC. The audit revealed cases in which interested parties present documents issued in states where they are not responsible for crimes.
However, the inclusion of this control procedure in the databases should only start within six months, from the moment we become aware of the decision. The same deadline has been set for the inclusion of a “block” in the ammunition sales control system that prevents registrations with invalid information. The verification revealed purchases in the names of deceased people and also without the buyers’ weapons being identified.
Despite the new deadlines, the TCU also opened up to the Army the “possibility that this Court, through detailed reasons presented during the monitoring phase, authorizes the programming of corrective measures through action plans, with deadlines appropriate to the complexity of each objective”.
The PF is expected to take over oversight of the CACs in January
The new TCU determinations do not clarify how the recommendations made to the Army at deadlines from 2025 onwards will be met. Starting from January next year, the attribution of control over the CAC will have to be assumed by the Federal Police, which is still determining the personnel requirements to be able to carry out the activity.
Bruno Langeani, a consultant at the Sou da Paz Institute and a researcher on armaments policy, said the TCU’s decision is “benevolent” towards the Army and leaves room for soldiers to simply wait for the transition from service to the PF.
“We already have a very long lead time. Considering that the inspection passes to the PF in January, determining measures with 12 or 18 months for compliance allows the Army to stand by and say that it has been inactive for 10 or 20 years, but now this is a PF problem and this negligence is rewarded with non-responsibility,” he stressed.
The TCU audit analyzed the military’s arms control between 2019 and 2022 and is considered the most comprehensive x-ray of the effects of weapons releases on civilians since the ICC on arms and ammunition trafficking in 2006.
From 2019 to 2022, 5,235 discounted individuals were able to obtain, renew or maintain so-called CAC registration certificates (CRs). Another 2,690 people managed to register despite having outstanding arrest warrants. Furthermore, 22,493 CACs suspected of being orange were identified – as shown in the Single Registry (CadÚnico), a federal government database with low-income people – and 21,442 weapons registered to deceased people.
The TCU analysis was carried out at the request of the Financial Inspection and Control Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, at the request of deputy Ivan Valente (PSOL-SP). When contacted, the Army has not yet commented on the trial.
CAC and organized crime
The number of CAC CRs increased from 191.4 thousand in 2018 to 898.3 thousand in the last year of the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), an increase of 469%. The group has become the largest armed group in Brazil, exceeding even the active personnel of the entire military police and armed forces.
Since Bolsonaro began easing criteria for civilians to access weapons through CACs, police investigations have identified intermediaries purchasing weapons for factions such as the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). In Sao Paulo, one of them was found with an arsenal worth R$50,000, despite a declared income of R$2,000.
Source: Terra
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