Suspect of coercing maids to film vote with cell phone in bra signs deal

The Public Ministry of Labor of Bahia signed this Tuesday (25) a term of adjustment of conduct with businessman Adelar Eloi Lutz, suspected of committing electoral harassment against his employees and of coercing them to film the vote in the voting booth at the first round of elections.

To avoid a lawsuit, the businessman will have to pay compensation of R$ 150 thousand for collective moral damages and make a public retraction on his social networks clarifying the workers’ right to vote.

A gaucho based in Bahia for over 30 years, Adelar owns rural properties in Formosa do Rio Preto (756 km from Salvador),

The MPT inquiry was based on audios in which Adelar Eloi Lutz confessed to the practice of electoral harassment against employees and said he had forced his employees to film the vote in the first round of the presidential elections and had fired those who refused to vote for Jair Bolsonaro ( PL).

Adelar also stated in the recording that he oriented workers to even use “cell phones in their bra” to illegally film the vote. And gave details of how his coerced officials: “[Disse] turns around, puts her cell phone in her bra, whatever. Go film, if not on the street. They filmed and proved that they voted.”

In the recordings, he also claims that two employees who did not want to vote for Bolsonaro were fired and now made promises to vote for the president in the second round in exchange for rehiring.

“Today they are saying ‘I’m going to vote for Bolsonaro now’. [Eu disse] vote first, taste and I’ll give you service. Otherwise, no.”

In August, the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) approved new rules on the ban on entering the voting booths with cell phones. By rule, voters who refuse to leave their equipment with the polling station cannot vote. Also, the police will be called.

The Elections Law already vetoed the use of the device at the time of voting, but the text of the rule allowed the voter to carry the cell phone turned off in his pocket, for example. The Court reinforced the measure to avoid doubts and to repress the violation of the secrecy of the vote and the coercion of the voter.

According to the terms of the agreement, the businessman will now have 48 hours to publish a video on his social networks in which he portrays and clarifies that harassing workers is an illegal practice.

He must also inform that any worker who feels embarrassed by his employer must report the case to the Public Ministry of Labor. In case of non-compliance with the agreement, the entrepreneur must pay a fine of R$ 50 thousand for each item not complied with.

The indemnity must be paid within 30 days and will be reversed in actions in the western region of Bahia, where the ruralist has large properties.

“The most important thing in an inquiry like this is to inhibit the continuation of the illicit and clearly signal to the whole society that electoral harassment will not be tolerated by the institutions”, said prosecutor Carolina Ribeiro, who held the instruction hearing at which the agreement was negotiated.

The report contacted the defense of Adelar Eloi Lutz to comment on the agreement, but the lawyer did not answer the calls.

Last week, after the case gained national repercussion, the businessman recorded a series of videos on a social network saying he was “playing with friends” when they talked about layoffs and says he does not know how the audios were spread. He says he “never harmed anyone” and was not serious in reporting the pressure on employees.

He also claims that some of his employees have family members who support Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and that they have not suffered any kind of reprisal for disagreeing with his political position.

“I apologize to everyone, including law enforcement. […] If you look at my house, I have people who work here and the whole family is PT. And I threw it out? I didn’t. I just said you have to analyze it, there’s no pressure,” she said.

This was the second case of electoral harassment in western Bahia investigated in this election by the Public Ministry of Labor and I resulted in a settlement.

In September, a businesswoman in the agricultural sector called on a social network for other businessmen to fire employees who were going to vote for Lula. She made a retraction and paid for communication campaigns against electoral harassment in Bahia.

Last Saturday (22), Senator Alexandre Silveira (PSD-MG) filed a request for the creation of a CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) to investigate cases of electoral harassment allegedly carried out by businessmen and public managers in favor of President Jair Bolsonaro.