The Court of Justice of Alagoas once again postponed the judgment of the appeal presented by Rede Globo against the decision of the first degree judge, Leo Denisson de Almeida, which obliges the Rio broadcaster to maintain links with TV Gazeta – one of Collor’s companies – for another five years.
The interlocutory appeal ended up becoming yet another element of discussion, questioning and, subsequently, damaging the image of the Alagoas justice authorities.
The invitation to Collor, as a guest of honor, for the inauguration of the new judge, Márcio Tenório de Albuquerque (who was head of the Alagoas MP and who praised Collor at the inauguration – was not enough – and the several irregularities in the judicial recovery process of Collor’s companies, the Court of Justice attempted to deviate from legal precepts to place a judge in an irregular condition for this case.
After the start of the session on the 18th, after a postponement and the case being against a decision made in December, the third member of the Civil Chamber who is responsible for judging this case, Alcides Gusmão, said he was a suspect to judge – on the spot of the trial.
The president of the Civil Chamber, Fábio Bittencourt, wanted to appoint Ivan Vasconcellos Brito Júnior to replace him; which was contested by the case’s rapporteur, judge Paulo Zacarias.
The way the president of the Civil Chamber wanted to handle the case violated the rules of the court itself.
Firstly, because a draw would have to be carried out to choose the replacement – and not through the monocratic choice of Bittencourt.
Secondly, because the draw would have to be done between members of the Civil Chambers of the Court – and Vasconcellos Brito Júnior is a member of one of the Criminal Chambers.
The expectation was that the draw would be made in this Thursday’s session, but the trial ended up being postponed once again; which, in practice, benefits TV Gazeta, which will continue to be Globo’s rebroadcaster in the state, even by force, by imposition of the Alagoas Court and against the will of the Rio broadcaster, which cited that the commercial relationship – as it involves Collor, owner of the local communications group and convicted of corruption in the STF – causes him “serious reputational damage”.
/Felipe Farias’s blog
