#sergio moro

Sergio Moro was once one of Brazil’s most popular public figures. As the face of a pan-Latin American corruption crackdown, the former judge was revered by the country’s rightwing for confronting a venal political system plagued by a culture of impunity.

But since the investigation’s peak more than six years ago, Moro’s star has fallen precipitously, his standing battered by the shifting political landscape, revelations of misconduct and a series of ill-judged decisions.

The man once depicted at rightwing rallies as a barrel-chested superman and seen as a presidential contender now cuts an increasingly isolated figure, with few political allies. In the coming weeks, he faces the potential loss of his Senate seat for alleged campaign financing abuses as well as a Supreme Court investigation into his conduct during the Lava Jato, or car wash, probe.

A conviction in the latter case could bar him from running for office, analysts say, marking an abrupt end to the political career of a man who as a federal judge in 2017 oversaw the conviction and almost two-year incarceration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the leftwing leader who returned to the presidency for a third term last year.

“It is important to understand that this is not just about Lula or a politician from one party or the other — almost all politicians are against Moro,” said Camila Rocha de Oliveira, a political scientist at the Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning. “He is also isolated in the legal community, among the courts, so he is in a very bad position.”

@samreich: