Superior Court of Justice denies habeas corpus petition of former governor Eduardo Azeredo.
STJ Minister Jorge Mussi denied the granting of a preliminary injunction that had been requested in a habeas corpus by Eduardo Azeredo (PSDB), former governor of Minas Gerais; the request was the last judicial recourse with which the defense of the former governor intended to avoid his arrest; he surrendered to the police this afternoon (23) to serve a sentence of 20,1 years in prison, after being considered a fugitive by the Minas Gerais Civil Police
Felipe Pontes, reporter for Agência Brasil - The Minister of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), Jorge Mussi, denied the granting of a preliminary injunction (provisional decision) that had been requested in a habeas corpus petition by Eduardo Azeredo, former governor of Minas Gerais.
The request was the last legal recourse with which the defense of the former governor from the PSDB party intended to avoid his arrest. He surrendered to the police this afternoon (23), after being considered a fugitive by the Minas Gerais Civil Police.
The final merits of the request for release still need to be examined by the Fifth Panel of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), after a statement from the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF). There is no deadline for this to happen.
Conviction
Yesterday (22), the judges of the Court of Justice of Minas Gerais (TJMG) denied the last appeal presented by the defense of the former governor and former president of the PSDB against the conviction and ordered his immediate imprisonment, applying the current understanding of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), which allows the execution of the sentence after confirmation in the second instance.
The crimes that led to Azeredo's conviction occurred 20 years ago, with the case having been opened 13 years ago, within the context of the so-called "Tucano mensalão" scandal. The former governor was convicted of embezzlement and money laundering for the first time in December 2015, when he was sentenced to 20 years and 10 months in prison.
His conviction was upheld on appeal by a 2-1 vote in August of last year, when his sentence was reduced to 20 years and one month.
Whistleblowing
Azeredo was accused of crimes committed during his reelection campaign for governor of Minas Gerais in 1998. He lost the election to Itamar Franco (PMDB).
According to the prosecution, Azeredo embezzled approximately R$ 3 million from three state-owned companies in Minas Gerais: the Minas Gerais Sanitation Company (Copasa), the Minas Gerais Mining Company (Comig), and the defunct Minas Gerais State Bank (Bemge).
According to the indictment, the funds were transferred to companies belonging to advertising executive Marcos Valério, the scheme's operator. The money was earmarked for sponsoring the National Independence Enduro event, but the transaction occurred without any bidding process or formal administrative contract.