By Rodrigo Viga Gaier, Ricardo Brito and Lisandra Paraguassu
RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA, Oct 23 (Reuters) – Former deputy Roberto Jefferson (PTB) was arrested after resisting gunfire and grenade this Sunday to return to the closed regime, authorized by the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Alexandre de Moraes, in an action that initially left two Federal Police agents injured.
According to the Supreme press office, the court was informed of the arrest by the Federal Police, which earlier released a note on Jefferson’s resistance to arrest.
“During the diligence, the target of the warrant reacted to the arrest order announced by the federal police,” the PF said in the note.
“In the action, two police officers were injured by shrapnel thrown by the target and immediately taken to the emergency room. After medical attention, both were released and are doing well,” added the PF. “The PF team has been reinforced and the police remain at the scene in order to comply with the court order.”
In a video, Jefferson himself says that he shot at agents, but says that his objective was not to harm them. “I didn’t shoot anyone to catch, I shot the car and close to them,” he said.
Jefferson’s lawyer, Gustavo Cunha, told Reuters he advised the former deputy to turn himself in, which would have happened hours after the PF’s first attempt.
An ally of the president and candidate for reelection Jair Bolsonaro (PL), Jefferson has been under house arrest since the beginning of the year, investigated in an investigation that investigates the organization of digital militias and anti-democratic acts that implicate several Bolsonaristas.
In the arrest warrant, Moraes recalls that the case originated from a complaint by the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) and that, when the closed regime was transformed into house arrest, precautionary measures were taken, including the use of an electronic ankle bracelet and the prohibition of external communication, including via social networks, among other points.
“On several occasions, news of non-compliance with the imposed precautionary measures was brought to the file”, says Moraes in his decision.
According to the Supreme Minister, Jefferson’s defense “did not present any justification” for the violations of the precautionary measures. Among the infractions, Moraes cites a video with serious offenses against the minister of the STF and the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) Cármen Lúcia, posted on Friday.
“In the case under analysis, in view of the repeated violations, the inadequacy of the precautionary measures to end the denounced’s periculum libertatis is largely demonstrated, which indicates the need to reestablish the prison, with no other measures capable of complying with the law. its function”, says the magistrate in the decision.
Moraes also ordered the search and seizure of “documents/assets, as well as all cell phones, computers, tablets and any other electronic devices, at all residential and professional addresses” of the former deputy.
For criminal lawyer Hugo Novais, as he was under house arrest, Jefferson could not have access to weapons.
“This conduct (the aggression against PF agents) on the part of the former parliamentarian will certainly be the object of investigation by the Public Ministry, by the Federal Police itself… this certainly greatly harms the former parliamentarian’s situation”, said Novais.
ELECTORAL REPERCUSSION
A week before the second round of the elections, Bolsonaro sought to distance himself from his ally in this episode by posting on Twitter a repudiation of the offenses against Minister Cármen Lúcia and the armed resistance against Federal Police agents, although he returned to criticize the investigations led by Moraes.
“I reject the statements of Mr. Roberto Jefferson against Minister Cármen Lúcia and her armed action against PF agents, as well as the existence of investigations without any support in the Constitution and without the role of the MP,” Bolsonaro tweeted.
“I arranged for the Minister of Justice to go to Rio de Janeiro to follow the progress of this regrettable episode”, added the president.
Also on Twitter, Minister Anderson Torres said that the “Ministry of Justice is fully committed to easing this crisis, as soon as possible, and in the best possible way”.
In a press conference, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who is contesting the second round with Bolsonaro, harshly criticized Jefferson’s insults to the Supreme Minister and said that the former deputy’s behavior is a result of the climate created by Bolsonaro in the country.
“The offenses that this citizen (Jefferson)… made to the minister Cármen Lúcia cannot be accepted by anyone who loves democracy, who likes the truth, who respects others,” Lula told reporters.
“We have never seen an aberration like this, an offense like this, a stupidity like this, that this citizen (Bolsonaro) who is my opponent established in the country”, he added.
“In other words, he managed to create in this country a portion of Brazilian society that was angry, hateful, lying… so I think this generates behavior like that of former deputy Roberto Jefferson.”
#Roberto #Jefferson #surrenders #resisting #arrest #injuring #agents #ISTOÉ #DINHEIRO