The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Ricardo Lewandowski, delivered this Thursday (8) a letter requesting his resignation to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. A retired judge from the Federal Supreme Court (STF), he took office in February 2024 and will leave the position after almost two years of tenure, justifying that personal and family issues led him to leave the government.
The dismissal, which had been speculated in the press for several weeks, should be published in the next edition of the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU). In the morning, Lewandowski participated in his last public meeting alongside the president, in the event that marked three years of the coup plot. In his place, the executive secretary of the department, Manoel Almeida, will take over on an interim basis.
“I am convinced that I performed the duties of the position with zeal and dignity, demanding of myself and my collaborators the best possible performance for the benefit of our administrators, considering the political, cyclical and budgetary limitations of the circumstances we are going through”, wrote Lewandowski in the letter, in which he also thanked Lula for the opportunity to serve the country even after having retired from the STF.
Responsible for a wide range of duties, the MJSP has important institutions and linked bodies, such as the Federal Police (PF), Federal Highway Police (PRF), National Penitentiary Department (Depen), National Drug Policy Secretariat (Senad), National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon), among others.
Balance
Lewandowski also addressed the ministry’s employees in another farewell letter, in which he takes stock of the actions of his administration. The minister highlighted, for example, the “unlocking” of demarcations of indigenous lands, which have been paralyzed in the country since 2018.
“Between 2024 and 2025, we signed 21 Declaratory Ordinances, guaranteeing the territorial protection of several indigenous communities. The Ministry of Justice and Public Security ensured full legal security for the processes, which allowed the signing of five ratification decrees in 2024 and seven in 2025, all in strict accordance with legal and constitutional frameworks”, he wrote.
Lewandowski also pointed out the program to implement body cameras for police officerswhich was joined by 11 states and invested R$155.2 million in equipment. Another highlight, according to him, was the regulation of progressive use of force by policefollowed by the acquisition and distribution of weapons with less offensive potential, which already has 21 state members.
“We have made consistent progress in the control of weapons and ammunition. We have removed 5,600 weapons and 298,844 ammunition from circulation and implemented the new CAC weapons management and inspection system, under the responsibility of the Federal Police, strengthening state control and traceability”, stated Lewandowski.
Other programs in the folder, such as Safe cell phoneSafer Municipality and the auction of assets seized by organized crime were recalled by the minister. In the field of children and adolescents’ rights, Lewandowski cited the update of the Rating Rating policy, with the creation of the not recommended range for children under 6 years of age and adjustments for the digital environment.
Future
Lewandowski’s departure will leave to his successor the challenge of advancing one of the federal government’s main bets in the area, which is the Proposed Constitutional Amendment (PEC) for Public Security, which advanced in the National Congress at the end of last yearbut there is still a long way to go until final approval.
