Demosthenes' lobby frightens the Judiciary.
Ministers of the superior courts fear that wiretaps from Operation Monte Carlo will be released, containing references to the names of Gilmar Mendes, Dias Toffoli, and Luiz Fux; a senator from Goiás used his influence to favor Cachoeira's business dealings.
247 - Operation Monte Carlo, which led to the arrest of illegal gambling kingpin Carlos Cachoeira, has already triggered parallel crises in various branches of government. In the political world, there are parliamentarians and governors under threat. In the Public Prosecutor's Office, prosecutor Roberto Gurgel will be one of those summoned by the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry. In the media, the often illegal methods of investigative journalism have also been exposed. Now, it's the Judiciary's turn.
According to the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, audio recordings of Senator Demóstenes Torres are expected to surface in the coming days in which he mentions the names of several ministers of superior courts, such as Gilmar Mendes, José Antônio Dias Toffoli, and Luiz Fux. All of them allegedly received Demóstenes in audiences. So far, nothing unusual, since the senator from Goiás was president of the Senate's Constitution and Justice Committee and had dealings with the Judiciary. The problem is that, apparently, Demóstenes boasted of his influence in conversations with Carlos Cachoeira.
As a preventative measure, several Supreme Court justices have already instructed their advisors to gather information on all hearings they granted to Demóstenes. The intention is to ascertain the date, time, duration, and topics discussed in the meetings. It is also known that the senator wielded considerable influence within the Superior Court of Justice and the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The Gurgel case
The relationship between Demóstenes Torres and Roberto Gurgel, the Attorney General of the Republic, should also be investigated by the CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry). For two years, Gurgel shelved a request from the Federal Police to conduct investigations against the Goiás state representative. Curiously, Gurgel decided to open an investigation against the governor of the Federal District, Agnelo Queiroz, but spared the governor of Goiás, Marconi Perillo.read more here), who is now facing accusations that he received bribes inside the Palácio das Esmeraldas (Emerald Palace).