Supreme Court justice orders Rousseff and Lula under investigation

Supreme Court (STF) Justice Teori Zavascki has authorized Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot to look for evidence that Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff and former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva allegedly interfered with Operation Car Wash investigations.

Former ministers José Eduardo Cardozo and Aloizio Mercadante, the Chief Superior Court (STJ) Justice Francisco Falcão, STJ Justice Marcelo Navarro Ribeiro Dantas, and former senator Delcídio do Amaral will also be investigated.

The prosecutor's request was motivated by allegations made by then-senator Delcídio do Amaral in his plea bargaining statement that Rousseff and Lula had vested interests in appointing Marcelo Navarro Ribeiro Dantas to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) last year with the hope that he would help stall Operation Car Wash investigations and release contractor executives from jail.

Amaral said the move was aided by former minister Aloizio Mercadante and José Eduardo Cardozo, who was then Minister of Justice and was responsible for informally providing the President of the Republic with recommendations of Superior Court nominations.

Defense

In a statement, Lula's lawyers said he has never interfered with Operation Car Wash investigations and does not object to any investigation as long as the right to a fair hearing is observed.

“If the Prosecutor-General wants to investigate the former president because of the contents of wiretapped conversations, he should also take action about the judge in charge of Operation Car Wash [Sérgio Moro] leaking these wiretaps because this was illegal,” his counsel wrote.

Through her press office, Dilma Rousseff maintained she has not done anything to interfere with Car Wash investigations.

“The press office for President Dilma Rousseff affirms that launching an investigation was an important step to clarify the facts and show that there have not been any attempts to obstruct the course of justice. Truth will prevail,” the statement read.

A statement from Mercadante denied he has tried to interfere with the investigation. “The Supreme Court's decision to launch an investigation will be an opportunity to show that former minister Aloizio Mercadante's action was one of solidarity and there were no attempts to obstruct justice or prevent then-senator Delcídio do Amaral from entering a plea bargaining deal,” the statement read.

Agência Brasil contacted the Superior Court justices, but they declined to comment on the ruling.

Translated by Mayra Borges