Judge admits mistake when releasing conversations of Lula and Rousseff

Federal Judge Sérgio Moro admitted Tuesday (Mar. 29) to Supreme Court (STF) Justice Teori Zavascki his mistake when authorized the release of tapped conversation between former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and President Dilma Rousseff. Moro has also told the justice that he had no intention to provoke controversies, conflicts, or constraints.

"The removal of secrecy had no intention to establish a political party fact, to provoke controversy or conflict, or anything outside the judicial competence, but it was responding to a request of the Public Prosecution Office (MPF), to disclose the case and especially the relevant conduct from a legal and criminal standpoint for the investigation of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that could possibly cause obstruction of justice or attempted obstruction of justice," explained Moro.

Moro sent the information requested by Zavascki after the justice's order to suspend the Operation Car Wash investigation targetting Lula and to pass the process to the Supreme Court.

Last week, Justice Zavascki responded to the request of the Attorney-General's Office (AGU) and suspended, based on the Court's jurisprudence, the release of tapped conversations involving the presidency and set a 10-day deadline for Sérgio Moro to provide information on the disclose of audio conversations between President Dilma Rousseff and Lula, made public after the judge's decision.

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta