STF minister authorizes PGR to hear ex-President of Petrobras about alleged interference by Bolsonaro

The vice president of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Minister Rosa Weber, authorized this Friday (15) that the PGR (Attorney General’s Office) hear in testimony the former president of Petrobras Roberto Castello Branco regarding messages that point to alleged interference by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the state-owned company.

She also authorized the agency to take the testimony of Rubem Novaes, former president of Banco do Brasil, on the matter.

The request had been forwarded to the Supreme Court earlier this month by the Deputy Attorney General of the Republic, Lindôra Araújo, to the rapporteur, Minister Luís Roberto Barroso. As the Judiciary is on recess in July, the process was in the hands of Rosa, who is on duty.

The minister states that, in the case in question, there is no temporary criminal immunity that the Constitution allows for the President of the Republic, because it involves suspected acts related to presidential functions.

“The examination of the facts reported in the exordial piece allows us to conclude that the possibly criminal conduct attributed to the Head of State would have been perpetrated by him in the current performance of the presidential office”, says the minister.

“There is no obstacle to the acceptance of the ministerial claim to carry out, by its own forces, the diligence initially indicated – hearing of the nominated persons.”

Lindôra’s request was made after a report by the website Metrópoles that showed an exchange of messages in a group of economists on a social network, in particular between Castello Branco and Rubem Novaes.

The former president of Petrobras said that the corporate cell phone that was returned to the state company contained messages and audio that could incriminate President Jair Bolsonaro.

Castello Branco, then, says he returned the device “intact” to the state-owned company.

Lindôra stated that, to the PGR, Castello Branco should be asked if there were messages and audios on his corporate cell phone that could incriminate the President of the Republic. They should also ask him to explain the content of that material.

In addition, you would have to explain the dates, circumstances and contexts in which these messages were forwarded or received, and why you did not present them to the competent authorities as soon as possible.

Novaes, on the other hand, would have to clarify the history of contact with Castello Branco, the nature of the conversation that took place and whether there were supposed exchanges of messages between the two in which Castello Branco would have reported irregularities committed by the president.

Lindôra’s demonstration was made after a request for an investigation by Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (Rede-AP) to open an investigation into possible evidence of crimes that would have been committed by the President of the Republic.

Randolfe also wanted there to be a search, seizure and forensic examination of the cell phone used by Castello Branco. For him, there were indications of the practice of crimes such as malfeasance, passive corruption or embezzlement, criminal condescension and violation of functional secrecy.

Lindôra says that the elements presented so far do not bring enough conviction on the part of the Public Prosecutor’s Office to initiate the requested investigation, but says that “the dialogue maintained and of a content not denied by the interlocutors raises further clarifications that can guide investigative measures that are not hasty or reckless”.