The Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) has summoned Cachoeira again to testify next week.
Lawmakers unanimously decided to recall the offender, whose attendance at the session had been blocked by the Supreme Court.
247 – The power struggle is in full swing. The habeas corpus obtained by the illegal gambling operator Carlinhos Cachoeira at the Supreme Federal Court was considered, in the session of the Cachoeira Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry this Tuesday, the 15th, as interference by one branch of government over another. The result was that, unanimously, the 32 members of the Commission decided to recall the illegal gambling operator for next week, which should trigger another battle in the courts between his defense, represented by lawyer Marcio Thomaz Bastos, and the wishes of the politicians. Who will prevail?
Below is a news article from Agência Brasil regarding this matter:
Luciana Lima _ Reporter for Agência Brasil, Brasília – The decision by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to grant habeas corpus to the businessman from Goiás, Carlos Augusto de Almeida Ramos, sounded like interference by the Powers, according to deputies and senators who are part of the Joint Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPMI) on Cachoeira. Today (15), the members of the CPMI decided, unanimously, to recall the businessman to testify next Tuesday, the 22nd.
The habeas corpus was granted yesterday (14), on a preliminary basis, by Minister Celso de Mello, and forced the commission to suspend the testimony of the businessman known as Carlinhos Cachoeira, which was scheduled for today.
"This decision sets a very serious precedent, should the Supreme Court confirm it in the judgment on the merits. It disrespects the power of the Joint Parliamentary Inquiry Commission to investigate. Imagine how many habeas corpus petitions will be there [at the Supreme Court] from people who do not want to appear before the Joint Parliamentary Inquiry Commission," said Senator Randolfe Rodrigues (PSOL-AP). "There is a clear interference of the Judiciary in the Legislative branch," Rodrigues added.
With Cachoeira absent, the chairman of the commission, Senator Vital do Rêgo (PMDB-PB), explained his decision to deny Cachoeira's lawyer, Márcio Thomaz Bastos, access to the CPMI documents earlier this month. He claimed that the CPMI is a "secondary" source of the information that was granted by the Supreme Court.
"Since the rapporteur of the case at the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Minister Ricardo Lewandowski, had denied access to these documents, I could not grant [access]. The material consists of a copy of Inquiry 3.430, precisely the one to which the STF denied access at the request of the applicant. The Joint Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPMI) is a secondary holder of classified information. If the Judiciary denied the applicant's request, the CPMI cannot grant it," justified the commission's president.
Today, the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPMI) also decided to grant access to the lawyers of businessman Carlinhos Cachoeira to the documents held by the commission. Senator Pedro Taques (PDT-MT) also defended the need to ask Minister Celso de Mello to reconsider his decision to allow Cachoeira to not appear before the commission to testify. "We have to ask the Supreme Court which decision we should follow," questioned Senator Pedro Taques, referring to the fact that Lewandowski denied access to the data and also to the habeas corpus granted by Celso de Mello. "Judicial decisions must be obeyed, but in democracies, they are also debated," he emphasized.