AGU Enfrenta launches task force to fight environmental crime

On Wednesday, September 18, the Federal Government’s Office of the General Counsel (Advocacia-Geral da União/AGU) launched the Strategic Task Force Against Environmental Illicits and Crimes (Grupo de Enfrentamento Estratégico aos Ilícitos e Crimes Ambientais/AGU Enfrenta), a coordinated effort to fight environmental crime.

According to Normative Ruling No. 149, published in the Federal Official Gazette (Diário Oficial da União/DOU), the task force seeks to hold those responsible for environmental harm accountable by coordinating efforts across multiple public administration bodies. Attorney General Jorge Messias signed the document.

AGU Enfrenta will establish a criminal cooperation unit to assist in prosecuting major environmental perpetrators. It will also cooperate with AGU-Recupera, a task force formed in March 2023, to help provide legal protection for Brazil's ecosystems (Amazon, Cerrado, Pantanal, Caatinga, Pampa and Atlantic Forest) and cultural heritage.  

The AGU will leverage the new strategic group to collect and refine information for submission to the Federal Prosecution Office (Ministério Público Federal/MPF), enhancing accountability for environmental crimes and related issues.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES — Among the responsibilities of AGU Enfrenta is contributing to the civil, administrative and criminal accountability of environmental perpetrators, in an integrated manner, in the processes and procedures indicated by the public bodies and entities it advises or represents.

Another mission is to define thematic focus areas for the actions of the Office of the Attorney General of the Union and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federal Government in processes and procedures related to accountability for environmental crimes, as well as to study and propose strategies for these bodies' actions.

The strategic group is also responsible for facilitating coordination among government bodies and law enforcement agencies across the Federation, including Brazil’s Federal Police (Polícia Federal do Brasil/PF), the Federal Prosecution Office (Ministério Público Federal/MPF), as well as their counterparts in the Federal District and states, the Federal Public Defender’s Office (Defensoria Pública da União/DPU) at federal, district and state levels, and the Judiciary Power.

COMPOSITION - The strategic group consists of representatives from various agencies, including the National Office for Climate and Environmental Defense (Procuradoria Nacional de Defesa do Clima e do Meio Ambiente /Pronaclima), the PGU, the PGF and specialized legal departments within the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Renováveis /Ibama), the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade/ICMBio), and the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas/Funai). AGU Enfrenta will also receive support from legal advisory teams in the ministries of Environment and Climate Change (Meio Ambiente e Mudança do Clima/MMA), Indigenous Peoples (Povos Indígenas/MPI), and Justice and Public Security (Justiça e Segurança Pública/MJSP).