A Great Leap Forward for Democracy and the Rule of Law? Brazil's Mensalão Trial

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3185271
AutoresGregory Michener (0000-0002-6648-8649, Fundação Getulio Vargas), Carlos Pereira (0000-0002-4116-3602)
Año2016
Volumen48
Número3
Páginas477-507
Fecha de publicación2016-08-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Latin American Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0022-216X • E-ISSN: 1469-767X
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0022216x16000377
OpenAlexW2466196909
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas11
Referencias citadas8

The Mensalão trial was Brazil's most important political corruption trial ever and an emblematic ex post accountability success. More than 28 individuals were convicted in relation to a legislative vote-buying scheme, many by the very officials they helped appoint. We relay the trajectory of the scandal cum trial, explain its successful prosecution and assess its implications. The article argues that the Mensalão has proved pivotal for Brazil's institutional and legal advances and asks - more than a quarter of a century after a new constitution - whether the country is entering into a stronger, more enduring relationship with the rule of law

Accountability · Constitution · Democracy · Geography · Language change · Legislature · Political science · Politics · Quarter (Canadian coin) · Rule of law · Corruption and Economic Development · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Judicial and Constitutional Studies · Law · Public Administration