estão entregues

It was late July and the case was still under conditions of judicial secrecy. A journalist from a major newspaper called me. He knew about it and was aware of most of its details. He wanted to ask me some questions. I told him I could not answer any questions.

We stayed for a while chating. Then, I asked him: "Listen, where did you get this leak from, the Justice Department or the Tax Department?". He quipped: "The Tax Department". As I put down the phone a clear, distinctive thought came to my mind in vernacular Portuguese: "As nossas instituições estão entregues à canalhada".