Brazil proposes harsher penalties for vandalism and systemic corruption

Governor Celina Leão of the Distrito Federal announced a proposal that would impose fines of up to R$100,000 per damaged item for acts of vandalism against public property. The draft law also calls for suspension of social‑benefit programs such as DF Social, Cartão Prato Cheio, and loss of priority in housing projects for offenders, with harsher sanctions for repeat violations.

Federal deputy Paulo Soares introduced a separate bill that creates a new crime of systemic corruption in the Brazilian Penal Code. The measure defines organized corruption schemes and sets imprisonment from eight to twenty years, plus fines and loss of public office. It includes aggravating factors for elected officials, large‑scale fraud affecting health, education, security, and the use of foreign accounts or virtual assets, and provides for reduced sentences for collaborators.