Lawyer in the case Mariana Ferrer is candidate for president of the equestrian confederation

A year after gaining national prominence and causing revolt on social networks and protests for his role in the case of digital influencer Mariana Ferrer, during a rape trial, criminalist Cláudio Gastão da Rosa Filho, 51, intends to preside over the Brazilian Confederation of Horse Riding (CBH). He is a candidate in the election scheduled for the 23rd.

Rosa Filho was a lawyer for businessman André de Camargo Aranha, accused of rape by Mariana. The defendant was acquitted in two instances.

A video released by The Intercept website in November last year shows the lawyer’s performance during the case’s hearing. At the time, copies of photos produced by the young woman when she was a model were used by the defender to reinforce the argument that the relationship had been consensual.

The criminalist also stated that he “would never have a daughter of Mariana’s level”. When she came to the audience in tears, he classified the crying as covert, false, and crocodile tears. He showed photos of the young woman posted on social networks and defined the poses made by her as gynecological. After the repercussion, Rosa Filho said that the released video had been edited.

The OAB (Order of Lawyers of Brazil) of Santa Catarina opened disciplinary proceedings to analyze the criminalist’s conduct. According to the organization’s press office, the case is still open.

The registration of her candidacy for president of the CBH opened a crisis in the modality in which women compete on equal terms with men.

Directors of state federations and athletes fear that their victory could damage the organization’s image.

“From what we’ve seen, he [Rosa Filho] she is not a person who seems to have respect for the female sex,” says Karina Johannpeter, president elected to lead the Gaucho Federation of Equestrian Sports in the 2022/2024 triennium.

“There is great concern if he takes over the confederation, we know what the sport represents abroad, the involvement with sponsors, and we would like to have serious people. Soon the dispute for places in the Olympics, Pan American, will begin. and we cannot have this distinction [por sexo]”, completes the gaucho.

Another leader also expressed discomfort with the candidacy, but asked not to be identified.

For Bianca Affonso Ferreira, representative of amateur riders at the São Paulo Equestrian Federation, competitors are perplexed by Gastão’s candidacy. “When he came to the equestrian world, I was surprised and shocked and even more so when his name came up as a presidential candidate. Our sport doesn’t need that kind of macho attitude. I know what I saw and what I heard [do vídeo do Gastão]”says Bianca.

“I prefer this kind of attitude away from our sport, which is already sexist and we are all the time fighting for equality. It is already a place where there is homophobia and sexism. Men are also outraged that this person is close to us on horseback riding. It’s not the kind of attitude we expect”, completes the paulista.

In his management plan for CBH, the lawyer says he started dedicating himself to horseback riding thanks to his daughters’ interest in the sport and his love for them. Rosa Filho is the current president of the Santa Catarina Equestrian Federation.

AT leaf, Rosa Filho replied, through messages via the WhatsApp application, that there is no relationship between her role as a criminal lawyer and her activity as a sports leader.

“The Mariana Ferrer case has even been tried by the collegiate body of the Court of Justice of Santa Catarina, with unanimous favorable decision for my client,” he said.

According to him, whoever criticizes his candidacy today was sympathetic when the case of Mariana Ferrer came to light. “The difference is that I am no longer on their side. Pure political convenience, which should not be taken into account,” the lawyer wrote.

Rosa Filho says she doesn’t believe that the fame of the case will spill over onto CBH’s image and harm its commercial commitments and relationship with the public.

“Despite many fake news involving the case, what was in the end demonstrated in more than one instance was that my professional performance was correct in defending one of the basic principles of law: the presumption of innocence”, concluded the native of Santa Catarina.

In a message posted to equestrian groups, to which the report had access, he later questioned whether the questions asked by leaf were “teleguided”.

The registration of his ticket (Hipismo pelo Brasil) was granted on December 8 and has Josenilton Oliveira Santos Neto, head of the sport in Bahia, as vice-president. The other inscribed slate (Hipismo Forte e Ativo) brings together Fernando Augusto Sperb and Bárbara Elisabeth Laffranchi.

There are directors of the modality who classify the criminalist’s candidacy as normal. “I think everyone has the right to choose, to opt and to try to apply. That’s right. [a candidatura dele] it did not bring me discomfort. Everyone has the right to make the choice,” said Alejandra Fernandes, president of the Equestrian Federation of Rio de Janeiro.

Andrea Mazzariol, deputy of the federation of Pará, said that he could not opine on something (the Mariana Ferrer case) that he does not know.

After the repercussion of the case led by Gastão Filho, Congress approved and President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) sanctioned the Mariana Ferrer law on the 22nd, which prohibits victims of sexual crimes and witnesses from being embarrassed during hearings and trials.

Since then, the use of language, information or material that offends victims or witnesses is prohibited. In addition, it forces the judge to ensure compliance with the measure.

The influencer accused André Camargo Aranha of rape on the night of December 15, 2018, when he was 21 years old. Spider was acquitted. The prosecutor in the case, Thiago Carriço de Oliveira, argued in the process that it was not possible to prove that the accused knew that Mariana was unable to consent to sexual intercourse.

CBH is experiencing a moment of political chaos. In January, two parallel elections were held, by the situation and opposition. Both were annulled by the Court, which ordered a new claim. Athletes have organized independent competition circuits because they do not trust the confederation.

This year, the COB (Olympic Committee of Brazil) announced on its website that it had transferred R$ 3,768,849.32 to CBH.

Questioned by leaf, the COB said that “the Confederations have autonomy, their electoral rites are defined by their own Assemblies and statutes, and the COB does not have, by law, the power to interfere in the process of its affiliates”.