| Chronicle Update: Fabio Mesquita Exonerated in Corruption Probe
2/24/04
In the most recent issue of Drug War Chronicle, DRCNet reported on two events in Brazil, the passage by the Brazilian House of a bill that would remove the threat of jail for drug possession, and the controversy at the Latin American Harm Reduction conference in Sao Paulo the same week. We reported that the conference had been held against the backdrop of "widely-publicized allegations of corruption and nepotism against Brazil's most prominent harm reductionist, Sao Paulo AIDS prevention head Fabio Mesquita -- he is on leave from his Sao Paulo post as a complaint is being investigated..." Due to the nature of this information, we felt it was important to get the latest update on this story out to you now, rather than waiting until next week's issue. According to reports in the Folha de Sao Paulo and the Brazilian AIDS News Agency, the complaint against Mesquita and other responsibles has been settled, and the City of Sao Paulo's Health Secretariat concluded its investigation with a mere slap on the wrist for Mesquita. According to the Secretariat's report, Mesquita had committed administrative violations of rules set down by the United Nations Education Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO), which partially funds the Sao Paulo AIDS prevention program, but broke no laws of the nation of Brazil. Those hirings, according to accusations published by the Folha newspaper on January 31, included Mesquita's ex-wife, Regina Carvalho Bueno; his daughter, Juliana Mesquita; and her boyfriend, Andre Frateschi. The Secretariat issued a "warning" to Mesquita over hiring procedures. It also found, however, that all three were well qualified for the work, and decided to continue a contract with Bueno, "given the good outcomes achieved by the city's STD/AIDS program, Ms. Regina Carvalho Bueno's professional credentials, and the fact that there is no family link between her and the current leadership." DRCNet is pleased at the removal of the cloud of suspicion from over the head of Dr. Mesquita, and we hope that he is or will soon be back at his post.
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