Kennedy: Barbosa's request is an exaggeration.

247 – According to columnist Kennedy Alencar, Justice Minister Eduardo Cardozo was right to meet with lawyers from the Lava Jato task force. He believes Joaquim Barbosa's request for the minister's resignation is an exaggeration. Read more:

Cardozo is right in dealing with Lava Jato lawyers.

The Minister of Justice, José Eduardo Cardozo, was right to meet with lawyers from the companies accused in Operation Lava Jato. It's the correct course of action and should be done transparently.

In this sense, the call for Cardozo's resignation made on social media by former Supreme Court president Joaquim Barbosa is an exaggeration. In a democracy, Barbosa has the right to express his opinion, even if it is exaggerated.

Barbosa commented on reports showing that Cardozo met with lawyers from companies accused in Operation Lava Jato. For example: representatives from Odebrecht.

It is the duty of a Minister of Justice to meet with lawyers, especially those from a large company mentioned in Operation Lava Jato. Cardozo heads the Federal Police, an agency of the Ministry of Justice and part of the Operation Lava Jato task force.

To this day, Cardozo has received more criticism from the PT (Workers' Party) and government colleagues for giving the Federal Police more freedom than for any potential interference in the investigation.

The minister has acted correctly by not trying to control the Federal Police. Meeting with lawyers from a construction company is not a crime. A Minister of Justice must be informed about what is happening in his area. The fundamental thing is to provide transparency to these meetings. It should be made clear in the official agenda that he received such people, to avoid suspicion and conspiracy theories.

It is legitimate for the government to be concerned about the economic effects of Lava Jato. Last week, workers at a construction site halted by Petrobras closed the Rio-Niterói bridge. A large construction company laid off a significant portion of its office staff. Companies must be held accountable for their mistakes, with the corresponding fines and criminal liability.

But simply destroying the companies is not in the country's best interest. A balanced view of the facts and their consequences is necessary.

Dismantling a sector of the economy will result in unnecessary unemployment.

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Any improper intervention attempted by the government would quickly become public. The secrecy of any eventual backroom deal would not last. The scandal is too serious to be dealt with in the shadows.

The correct approach is for the government to transparently address its concerns about the economic effects of Lava Jato and the survival of businesses. An agreement would have to involve the Executive branch, the Judiciary, the Public Prosecutor's Office, and the TCU (Federal Court of Auditors).

Regarding the version that Cardozo allegedly said there could be a turning point in Lava Jato after Carnival, this is due to expectations surrounding the statement from the Attorney General of the Republic, Rodrigo Janot.

President Dilma Rousseff hopes that Janot, by eventually indicting a group of politicians, will share the fallout from Lava Jato. Janot will also be the first major filtering of Judge Sergio Moro's work.

Throughout the Lava Jato investigation, there have been leaks and official releases of some testimonies. We have a partial view of the facts. With Janot, we will know which politicians with privileged jurisdiction may face investigation or prosecution in the Supreme Federal Court. Behind the scenes, there are rumors that prominent names from the opposition are also on Janot's list. The scandal would not only affect government parties. We will have to wait until after Carnival to satisfy our curiosity.