It is legitimate and normal for Lula to give his opinion on the trial, says Supreme Court Justice.

247 – In an interview with Folha and UOL, Supreme Court Justice Marco Aurélio Mello described it as normal for former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to express his opinion on the date he considers most convenient for the Mensalão trial. He did, however, question Gilmar Mendes' reaction. Read more:

Justice Marco Aurélio Mello, the second most senior of the 11 members of the Supreme Federal Court, said yesterday that he considers it "legitimate" and "normal" for former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to express his opinion on the date he considers most convenient for the trial of the mensalão scandal.

"I admit that the former president might have been concerned about the trial taking place in the same semester as the elections. That's acceptable," the minister stated in an interview with Folha and UOL.

He then listed the reasons: "First, because he is a layman in the field of law. Second, because he is a member of the PT (Workers' Party). Therefore, if the process involves people linked to the PT, obviously, if a conviction occurs, it will have repercussions in the municipal elections."

Over the weekend, Veja magazine revealed that Gilmar Mendes (also a Supreme Court Justice) and Lula met in April at the office of former Defense Minister Nelson Jobim. According to Mendes, the former president said that the Mensalão trial should be postponed until after this year's elections.

According to Marco Aurélio, judges are always ready to listen, but "we decide according to our own convictions."

"I think that former President Lula did not address the merits of the criminal case. What he did was reveal that it would not be good, in electoral terms, for the trial to take place in the second half of 2012."

'EVERYTHING WRONG'

Despite allowing Lula to give his opinion on trial dates, Marco Aurélio believes that "everything is wrong" with the meeting between the former president and Mendes. "There are errors regarding the location, errors regarding the meeting itself, and errors regarding what was actually reported."

Regarding Mendes' statement that he felt pressured by Lula to delay the trial, Marco Aurélio says he doesn't understand "the time gap between the event, the meeting, and the disclosure of the meeting."

He stated that he had learned that "someone was leaking information" and that Mendes "stepped forward to really expose the episode."

Marco Aurélio expressed incomprehension regarding the alleged blackmail that Lula supposedly carried out against Mendes. "I don't understand why anyone would consider protecting Mendes. The minister is not being investigated in the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry."

The CPMI in this case is the Joint Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry investigating the business dealings of Carlos Cachoeira and his relationships with authorities and politicians. According to Mendes, he is being victimized by fake news about connections he allegedly has with Cachoeira and Senator Demóstenes Torres (independent-GO).

Although he refuses to comment, Marco Aurélio admits he doesn't have a good relationship with Mendes – "it's strictly institutional".
In the Supreme Court, in general, the relationship between the justices is not pleasant: "The Supreme Court is made up of islands. We don't have much social interaction (...) Unfortunately, it has even been proclaimed that the collegial body is a nest of vipers."