Lawyer says new accusation is "unwarranted"

Lawyer José Roberto Batochio, who defends Antonio Palocci, stated that the Veja magazine article about the apartment rented by the Chief of Staff in São Paulo is "reckless" and "inappropriate," as it attributes responsibilities to the tenant that should be demanded from the administrator responsible for renting the property.

Batochio compared his client's situation to that of a consumer in relation to the owner of the store where he shops. "You cannot be held responsible for the background of the owner of the grocery store where you buy your basic necessities," he stated. "I think this article is absurd. With all due respect to the author of the article, it makes no sense whatsoever."

The lawyer acknowledged, however, that the situation could be clarified by further investigation into the connection between the straw men Dayvini Costa Nunes and Felipe Garcia dos Santos and the real estate agency that rents the property. But he points out that this initiative cannot be attributed to Palocci. "Although this is not a problem that concerns the minister, it concerns the owners," he observes.

"To rent a property, you look for a real estate agency, a property management company, and there you have a series of properties... property A, B, C, you choose property C," he compared. "You are informed of the price, the condominium fees, and if you are satisfied, the contract is made directly with the management company; you don't even get to know the owner, so you can't even be responsible for the owner's background."

He further stated that it is "very common" for owners to have no interest in knowing who occupies their properties, leaving that task to a property management company that "does everything."