Mello Franco points to a shift in the Supreme Court's approach to Lava Jato.
The decision by the Second Panel of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to prevent José Sarney from being investigated in the first instance, even without having the right to privileged jurisdiction, has encouraged those who expect a change in the Supreme Court's stance regarding Lava Jato, writes columnist Bernardo Mello Franco; "The decision is important because it was the first defeat for Minister Edson Fachin as rapporteur of Lava Jato. He followed Teori Zavascki's opinion and voted against shielding Sarney. He was overruled by four colleagues: Gilmar Mendes, Dias Toffoli, Ricardo Lewandowski, and Celso de Mello. The outcome encouraged lawyers who are counting on a shift in the STF's stance on Lava Jato. They received two pieces of good news in the same week: Sarney's victory and the appointment of Alexandre de Moraes to Teori's vacancy."
247 - The decision by the Supreme Court's Second Panel to prevent José Sarney from being investigated in the first instance, even without his privileged jurisdiction, has encouraged those who expect a change in the Supreme Court's stance regarding Lava Jato, writes columnist Bernardo Mello Franco. "The decision is important because it was the first defeat for Minister Edson Fachin as rapporteur for Lava Jato. He followed Teori Zavascki's opinion and voted against shielding Sarney. He was overruled by four colleagues: Gilmar Mendes, Dias Toffoli, Ricardo Lewandowski, and Celso de Mello. The outcome encouraged lawyers who are counting on a shift in the Supreme Court's stance on Lava Jato. They received two pieces of good news in the same week: Sarney's victory and the appointment of Alexandre de Moraes to Teori's seat."
"In claiming the benefit, the former president alleged that he was cited along with two politicians holding office: Renan Calheiros and Romero Jucá. The argument did not hold water for other politicians, but it was accepted in Sarney's case."
Sarney is not the only one under investigation who resists being judged as an "ordinary person." There are dozens of politicians eager to escape Curitiba and join the "select orgy," to use Senator Jucá's fine expression. The immortal has already succeeded.