Joesley apologizes to Supreme Court justices and Janot.
In a statement released tonight, Joesley Batista and Ricardo Saud, whistleblowers from the JBS company, offered their "sincere apologies" to the ministers of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) and the Attorney General of the Republic, Rodrigo Janot, for the inappropriate mentions in conversations recorded by them and delivered to the Attorney General's Office; "We have no knowledge of any illegal act committed by any of these authorities. What we said is not true, we offer our sincerest apologies for this disrespectful and shameful act," the whistleblowers stated.
Brazil Agency - In a statement released today (5), Joesley Batista and Ricardo Saud, whistleblowers from the JBS company, offered "sincere apologies" to the ministers of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) and the Attorney General of the Republic, Rodrigo Janot, for the inappropriate citations in conversations recorded by them and delivered to the PGR.
The existence of the recordings was revealed yesterday (4) by Janot, who opened an investigation to look into the omission of information in the negotiations of the plea bargains of JBS executives. After the repercussion of the case, the collaborators stated that the references made to the ministers and to Janot "have no connection with the truth".
"We have no knowledge of any illegal act committed by any of these authorities. What we said is not true, we offer our sincerest apologies for this disrespectful and shameful act, and we reiterate our deepest respect for the ministers of the Supreme Federal Court, the Attorney General of the Republic, and all members of the Public Prosecutor's Office," the whistleblowers say.
The recordings prompted the opening of a review process of the plea bargain agreement between Joesley Batista, Ricardo Saud, and Francisco Assis e Silva. Early in the evening, the confidentiality of the audios was lifted by Minister Edson Fachin, rapporteur for the JBS plea bargains, but the content is expected to be made available only tomorrow by the Supreme Federal Court (STF).
Yesterday, when announcing the opening of the review process for the plea bargains, Janot said that even if the benefits granted to the informants are revoked, the evidence against the individuals mentioned should be maintained. However, the final decision rests with the Supreme Court.
Earlier, the president of the Court, Justice Cármen Lúcia, reported that she had asked the Federal Police (PF) to investigate the mentions of Court justices in the recordings delivered by JBS to the Attorney General's Office.
According to the minister, the investigation is necessary to ensure there are no doubts about the dignity of the members of the Supreme Court. "The institutional dignity of this Supreme Court and the honor of its members are being attacked in a manner unprecedented in the country's history," she said.
Watch below: