TRF-4 denies Lula's defense request and upholds virtual trial in the Atibaia farm case.
Following a last-minute decision by the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) to include the triplex apartment case in a virtual session without notifying Lula's defense, Federal Judge João Pedro Gebran Neto of the TRF4 (Regional Federal Court of the 4th Region) rejected the defense's requests and scheduled a virtual trial in the Atibaia ranch case.
247 - On the same day that The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) included the triplex case in a virtual session without notice. In response to Lula's defense, the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region (TRF-4) denied the former president's request and maintained the trial of the Atibaia farm case in a virtual session.
Therefore, the case will be reviewed by the 8th Panel starting on April 24th, when the virtual session begins, during which there will be no debate among the judges nor oral arguments from the defense. Votes will be presented until May 6th, when the session concludes.
In the early hours of this Wednesday (22), without notifying the defense, the triplex case was included on the virtual agenda. The internal regulations of the STJ stipulate that the agenda must be published in the Official Gazette five days in advance of the start of the session, a period in which the parties can object to the virtual judgment.
In the case of the country house, Lula's defense filed a request that the trial not be held virtually. Lawyers Cristiano Zanin and Valeska Teixeira argued that there are still ongoing investigations requested by them and asked that the trial be held in person, when possible.
The case's rapporteur, João Pedro Gebran Neto, decided that the "relevance" of these investigations will be analyzed during the trial. Among the investigations cited by the defense is the request for access to the accusations that Marcelo Odebrecht filed against the president of the Odebrecht construction company, Rui Sampaio.
For Congressman Paulo Pimenta (PT-RS)Although some consider virtual trials "a disrespect to the rule of law," the decisions are not coincidental.
"This coordination is NOT A COINCIDENCE: it occurs one day after the decision of the PT caucuses in the Chamber and the Senate, in a meeting with Lula, to begin the campaign for Bolsonaro Out! Fischer and the rapporteur of the case at the TRF-4, João Pedro Gebran Neto, are working together. This is the truth!", emphasized the parliamentarian.
"Gebran, Moro's close friend, the judge who became a politician after trampling the law in Lava Jato, ignored the requests from Lula's defense, which argued that there are still pending investigations and asked that the trial be held in person, when possible," he stated.