Lawyer asks that Pizzolato not be replaced by Battisti.
Lawyer Alessandro Sivelli, who defends former Banco do Brasil marketing director Henrique Pizzolato, wrote a letter to the Italian Minister of Justice, Andrea Orlando, asking him not to let his decision in the case be dictated by a possible "exchange" with the Italian Cesare Battisti, who is imprisoned in Brazil. In the letter, the lawyer appeals to the Italian government not to prioritize the possibility of political success over "fundamental rights of a person."
247 - Lawyer Alessandro Sivelli, who defends former Banco do Brasil marketing director Henrique Pizzolato, requested in a letter to the Italian Minister of Justice, Andrea Orlando, that he not allow his decision in the case to be dictated by a possible "exchange" with the Italian Cesare Battisti, who is imprisoned in Brazil.
Pizzolato was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison in Criminal Action 470, the so-called mensalão scandal. He fled to Italy where he is being held awaiting trial on his extradition proceedings. He has been imprisoned since the beginning of February.
Italian Cesare Battisti, a member of the Armed Proletarians for Communism (PAC) group in the 1970s, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Italy for murder. He fled to Brazil in 2004. The Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) authorized Battisti's extradition to Italy in 2009. At the time, however, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva denied the request.
In the letter, the lawyer appeals to the Italian government not to prioritize the possibility of achieving political success over "fundamental human rights."