Pimentel: "I am certain that Dilma will be acquitted."

Ceará247 - “This will be the first case we are aware of in which a person is not a party to the proceedings, but is held responsible for something they did not do. Therefore, I am certain that the president will be acquitted,” said Senator José Pimentel (PT-CE). The statement was made after the conclusion of the Senate's expert panel, which shows that the elected president, Dilma Rousseff (PT), did not commit any crime that justifies her impeachment. “How is it possible to punish someone without having committed an act that constitutes a crime?” questioned the parliamentarian.

Pimentel emphasized that, regarding the equalization of interest rates in the Plano Safra (agricultural plan), the expert analysis did not identify any action by Dilma related to the government's payment delays. "The expert analysis did not identify any act of commission by the president that directly or immediately contributed to the payment delays," he stated.

During a meeting of the Special Impeachment Committee this Monday (27), Pimentel questioned the former Minister of Agrarian Development, Patrus Ananias, about the legal basis of the complaint that points to irregularities in the process of equalizing interest rates in the Plano Safra. “Is it possible that a service contract comes to be considered a loan simply because interest is charged on late payment of installments?”, the senator asked.

In his response, the former minister argued that the trial of a president of the Republic should analyze the facts contained in the indictment within a broader context that considers governmental priorities. "We cannot think of contracts that impact the common good and collective interest as contracts governed by the Civil Code, but rather by Administrative Law or in light of constitutional principles and norms, always with the public interest as the underlying issue," he stated.

Regarding the issuance of supplementary credit decrees, the senator reported that, according to experts, President Dilma did not receive any warning about possible irregularities. Pimentel then asked the former minister again: “Is it possible to hold the Presidency of the Republic responsible, in this case, for the actions taken by consultants, advisors, the Attorney General's Office, and the Minister of State, who forwards the matter to the Presidential Palace for deliberation? Is there intent to defraud on the part of the President in these decrees?”

Again, Patrus Ananias emphasized the importance of considering government actions within a broader context when an impeachment process is underway. "It's impossible for a leader to keep track of everything, no matter how determined they are. We can't expect the head of the Executive branch to know everything," he concluded.