Renan Filho goes to the Regional Electoral Court and the Federal Police to file a complaint against Lira for fraud.
The coalition supporting the PMDB candidate for governor of Alagoas has filed a request for investigation with the Electoral Court and the Federal Police for the alleged falsification of a fax sent to TV Gazeta. The fax contained a favorable decision from Minister Luiz Fux regarding the airing of the electoral guide for candidate Benedito de Lira (PP); however, a decision on the case, published moments later on the TSE website, denied the precautionary action filed by Lira's committee and contained a representation number different from that on the fax.
Alagoas 247 – The coalition supporting PMDB candidate for governor of Alagoas, Renan Filho, filed a complaint with the Regional Electoral Court and the Federal Police against PP candidate Benedito de Lira, alleging fraud. Lira's lawyers are requesting an investigation into the alleged falsification of a fax sent by Lira's team to TV Gazeta containing a decision by Minister Luiz Fux authorizing the airing of the PP's electoral campaign advertisement.
The document, signed by Fernando Maciel de Alencastro, Judicial Secretary of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), was received by the broadcaster on Wednesday evening, October 1st, at 20:23 PM, that is, shortly before the start of the broadcast of the parties' electoral program. The TV station informed Lira's team that it would not be possible to broadcast the program, despite Fux's favorable decision, due to the short notice period. According to electoral law, any changes to the program must be made up to one hour before broadcast.
The TSE's decision concerned a lawsuit filed by Renan Filho against Benedito de Lira, which was processed in the TRE/AL and resulted in the loss of the right to broadcast the evening television election program, which should have been fulfilled on the last day of the electoral campaign for gubernatorial candidates, i.e., on Wednesday the 1st. Lira's coalition filed an appeal seeking to suspend the decision. The response, up to that point, was the fax sent to TV Gazeta with Fux's favorable decision.
Shortly after, on the same day, the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) published the full decision on its website, but with the opposite effect. The suspensive effect requested by the PP candidate had, in fact, been denied by the minister. The representation number contained in the decision on the TSE website – 1420-89 – was also different from the fax sent to TV Gazeta – 1420-87. Renan Filho's lawyers are appealing to article 350 of the Electoral Code, which provides for a penalty of up to five years and a fine of 5 to 15 days for anyone who falsifies a document.
TSE employee "admits mistake"
On Thursday, February 2nd, the legal team of candidate Benedito de Lira obtained a certificate from the Processing Coordination (CPRO) of the Judicial Secretariat of the TSE (Superior Electoral Court), in order to try to explain the alteration of the fax. The document, published in... CadaMinuto websiteCPRO coordinator Daniel Vasconcelos Borges Netto admits he made a mistake in sending a fax to TV Gazeta ordering compliance with an injunction that would guarantee the broadcast of Lira's electoral guide, and states that the correction was made at 21:42 PM with the publication of the decision on the TSE website.
Check it out here The full text of the PMDB's representation to the TRE.