Head of Brazil environmental agency resigns after criticism

SAO PAULO – The head of the agency charged with patrolling Brazil’s Amazon has resigned after receiving criticism from the country’s newly sworn in far-right administration.

Suely Araujo announced her decision to leave the government environmental protection agency IBAMA on Monday. She is expected to be replaced within weeks.

This weekend Brazil’s new environment minister Ricardo Salles said on Twitter that an $8 million IBAMA contract for car rentals was too costly.

Araujo said in a statement that the audit body of Brazil’s Congress had already approved the car rental contract.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who also took office last week, used Twitter to endorse Salles’ criticism.

Bolsonaro also suggested he was dismantling irregularities at IBAMA, but later deleted the message.

Araujo did not refer to their Twitter messages in her resignation letter.