The Federal Supreme Court (STF) deemed unconstitutional a Roraima law that prohibits the destruction of private property seized by state agencies and the Military Police in environmental operations in the state. The decision was unanimous among ministers.
In a virtual session, ministers accepted actions presented by the Rede Sustentabilidade party and the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) against state law. The decision also confirmed an injunction granted by the rapporteur for the actions, Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, who suspended the state law in October 2022.
For the rapporteur, the state law invades the Union’s exclusive competence and limits the effectiveness of environmental inspection, since a federal law, the Environmental Crimes Law, provides for the destruction of seized products and equipment.
The Court’s decision comes at a time when the federal government is carrying out a series of actions to remove illegal mining from the Yanomami Land, located in Roraima.
At the beginning of the month, teams from Ibama, the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai) and the National Public Security Force destroyed a helicopter, a plane, a bulldozer and structures that served as logistical support for prospectors.
This week, a physical barrier was installed in the river to inspect vessels leaving the mines. Another measure adopted is the new closure of the airspace of the indigenous territory from the 6th of April.
