PGR speaks out against Bolsonaro’s appeal due to ineligibility

The PGR (Attorney General’s Office) spoke out against the granting of the appeal presented by the defense of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) against the decision of the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) that made him ineligible.

In an opinion signed by the Deputy Attorney General for Electoral, Alexandre Espinosa, the body says the decision of the Electoral Court demonstrated the “engendering” of the public machine and the misuse of purpose in the meeting held by Bolsonaro with ambassadors in July 2022.

Espinosa also refutes the defense’s claim that the former president’s speech is protected by the limits of freedom of expression. He states that the request demands a re-examination of the evidence, which is vetoed by the STF in an extraordinary appeal – an appeal presented by Bolsonaro’s defense.

“The Superior Electoral Court demonstrated the engineering of the public machine in carrying out the event in a diversion of public function and aiming to benefit the upcoming electoral campaign”says the demonstration.

Regarding the request for impeachment presented against the rapporteur of the action, minister Cristiano Zanin, declared that the allegations presented by the defense are “generic and with a subjective bias”.

The share was distributed to Zanin by draw in December 2023. He is a former lawyer for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) – Bolsonaro’s biggest political rival. On April 18, the former president’s lawyers asked for Zanin’s impeachment due to the fact that he and his wife, Valeska Zanin, filed a lawsuit on the same topic against Bolsonaro at the Electoral Court in 2022.

At the time, the couple represented the Brazilian Federation of Hope (PT, PV and PC do B). Zanin left all cases when he took over the Court in August last year.

In June last year, the TSE sentenced the former head of the Executive to ineligibility for 8 years for abuse of political power and misuse of the media.

The Court judged an action filed by the PDT (Democratic Labor Party) in August 2022 against a meeting between the then head of the Executive and ambassadors at Palácio da Alvorada, in July of the same year.