Brazilian judge withdraws astronomer’s passport in the middle of an investigation | Natural Issues

Ricardo Salles resigned this week after being accused of agreeing to smuggle timber into the Amazon.

A judge in Brazil’s Supreme Court has revoked the passport of former Environment Minister Ricardo Salles, who resigned earlier this week in protest of his duty to allow illegal export of trees from the Amazon rainforest.

Judge Carmen Lucia ruled in her favor that Salles was barred from leaving the country after prosecutors suggested she appear to be in danger of fleeing.

The former prime minister was given 24 hours to present his passport to the police, according to court documents.

Salles was not immediately available for comment. The former minister denied everything.

In May, federal police announced that Salles and other government officials were being investigated for alleged fraud and other charges for allowing deforested Amazon rainforest to be exported to the United States and Europe.

Earlier this month, Lucia resumed investigations into whether Salles thwarted logging investigations.

Salles resigned on Wednesday, saying he wanted to allow Brazil’s international and domestic affairs to flourish.

Deforestation in the Amazon of Brazil has grown in Salles, hitting 12 years in 2020 by an area seven times the size of London destroyed.