Head of Brazil environmental protection agency resigns
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS JANUARY 7, 2019 / 10:35 AM / UPDATED 12 MINUTES AGO
Head of Brazil environmental protection agency resigns
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The head of Brazils environmental protection agency Ibama resigned on Monday after far-right President Jair Bolsonaro criticized the amount of money the unit spends to rent vehicles in his latest attack on the agency.
Suely de Araujo had been leading the agency since 2016. An Ibama spokeswoman said she resigned after Bolsonaro suggested on Twitter there were irregularities in Ibamas budget, which included 28.7 million reais ($7.73 million) for rental vehicles this year. Bolsonaro has routinely attacked Ibama, which is tasked with policing the Amazon rainforest to stop deforestation and illegal mining.
Reporting by Brad Brooks; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-politics-ibama/head-of-brazil-environmental-protection-agency-resigns-idUSKCN1P11J1