Mercadante: never tried to interfere in senator's plea bargain

Education Minister Aloizio Mercadante said, during a press conference, that he never tried to interfere in Senator Delcídio do Amaral's agreement for a plea bargain. According to him, the decision to talk to the senator's aide, José Eduardo Marzagão, was his and not requested by President Dilma Rousseff.

According to Mercadante, important parts of his conversation with Delcídio's aide were omitted from the audio transcript released today by the press.

"If you look at the audio transcript, key parts of it were not properly reported. At one point I say 'I do not care whether he will agree to a plea bargain or not, I don't care' [...] 'he has to develop a viable way out, I will not get involved in it, he will do what he feels he should do,'" he defended himself.

The minister said he sought Marzagão to demonstrate solidarity with the senator's daughters and because he believed the Senate would evaluate Delcídio's arrest  based on "legal interpretation". "The initiative to talk to him was mine. The campaign against his daughters raised my awareness. [...] Being senator, I thought the Senate would make an announcement giving a legal interpretation, requesting a house arrest."

The minister also said that "he does not care" about Delcídio's decision to agree to a plea bargain. "I have no worries. I do not care whether he will agree to a plea bargain or not".

Mercadante reiterated: "I don't discuss plea bargain." According to him, Delcídio do Amaral's aide tried "to induce this topic."

"He [Marzagão] tried throughout the conversation to induce me to a legal defense. And when he tried to induce me I said I would not meddle in his defense. 'I'm not a lawyer, I do not know what it is about, I have nothing to do,' I said."

Mercadante also said he will make himself available to Brasil Prosecutor-General's Office (PGR)  and to Federal Supreme Court (STF) to explain the fact. The minister said he will take legal measures against the aide.

Plea bargain

Senator Delcídio do Amaral delivered the recording to the Public Prosecution Office (MPF). The recording was made by his aide Eduardo Marzagão of two meetings, held in December last year, one with Education Minister Aloizio Mercadante, and the other with the minister's aide. The information was gathered in the Plea Bargain Term # 5 agreed between the senator and the MPF.

According to the document, Mercadante told Marzagão that Delcídio should be "calm and carefully evaluate the following steps to take, given the complexity of the political moment" and that "Aloizio Mercadante's message, to tell the truth, was trying to convince the deponent (Delcídio) of not seeking the Public Prosecution Office."

The document also reported that after being told by Eduardo Marzagão that Delcídio's family ran into financial problems (attorney's fees), Mercadante would have offered financial assistance to Delcídio's family to cover lawyers' fees "through a company linked to the Workers' Party (PT)". "At that moment, Mercadante said the financial issue, and more specifically, the attorneys' payment could probably be solved by a company linked to PT."

Senator Delcídio do Amaral delivered a letter today (Mar. 15) to Antonio Carlos Biffi, PT's president in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, requesting the party disaffiliation.

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta

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