05/07/2024 – 21:58
Minister Cristiano Zanin, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), declared himself unable to judge former president Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) appeal against the conviction that left him ineligible.
As a lawyer, he filed a similar lawsuit against Bolsonaro in the 2022 elections. The former president’s defense asked for the case to be redistributed.
By giving up the process, the minister justified that he took the decision to “improve the necessary procedural economy and avoid future redistribution”.
The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) declared that it saw no reason for impediment: “The defense’s allegations of the existence of impediment of the reporting minister were presented in a generic way and with a subjective bias.”
Even with the PGR’s opinion, which guaranteed him support in the case, Cristiano Zanin thought it prudent to leave the appeal reporting, with the exception that the impediment applies “only and only” to this specific process.
“It seems to me, despite the PGR’s statement, that it is appropriate to accept the grounds presented in the incident raised by the appellant to declare that I am unable to judge this extraordinary appeal with grievance, since I signed an electoral judicial investigation action as lawyer before the TSE, whose request and cause of action are similar to the action that gave rise to this extraordinary appeal with appeal”, he wrote.
Bolsonaro was convicted in June last year by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) for discrediting electronic voting machines in a meeting with diplomats at Palácio do Alvorada. The ministers concluded that there was abuse of political power and misuse of the media.
The former president first appealed to the TSE, which upheld the conviction. The appeal to the Federal Supreme Court is the last chance to overturn the judgment. The prospect of victory, however, is considered remote. Two ministers who voted to revoke their political rights – Cármen Lúcia and Alexandre de Moraes – also make up the STF plenary. Furthermore, historically, the Supreme Court has been deferential to the judgments of the Electoral Court.
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