Cunha Lima is accused of buying political support.
Senator and PSDB gubernatorial candidate Cássio Cunha Lima is being accused of a new electoral crime in Paraíba; the national vice-president of the PSDB, who was removed from office by the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) for abuse of political and economic power in 2006, is accused of buying political support from mayors in the interior of the state; the complaint is being investigated by the Federal Police; according to the "A Força do Trabalho" coalition, headed by Governor and reelection candidate Ricardo Coutinho (PSB), the scheme would also involve the president of the State Legislative Assembly, Ricardo Marcelo (PEN), the mayor of the municipality of Caiçara (PB), Cícero Francisco da Silva, the city's vice-mayor, and four other councilors.
247 - Senator and PSDB gubernatorial candidate Cássio Cunha Lima is once again being accused of electoral crimes in Paraíba. The national vice-president of the PSDB, who was removed from office by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) for abuse of political and economic power in 2006, is now accused of buying political support from mayors in the interior of the state.
The new accusation against Cássio was filed with the Federal Police of Paraíba by the legal counsel of the "A Força do Trabalho" coalition, headed by the governor and candidate for re-election Ricardo Coutinho (PSB). The scheme to buy political support also involves the president of the State Legislative Assembly, Ricardo Marcelo (PEN), the mayor of the municipality of Caiçara (PB), Cícero Francisco da Silva, the city's vice-mayor, and four other councilors.
According to lawyer Celso Fernandes, the "A Força do Trabalho" coalition had access to a recording that reveals details of the new electoral crime committed by Cássio Cunha Lima. "The recording is compelling, it names people from the opposing coalition and specifically mentions amounts of R$ 200 and R$ 600," he stated.
The recording, which is already in the possession of the Federal Police, was made by journalist Sales Dantas, a former city councilor in the capital of Paraíba. According to the "A Força do Trabalho" coalition, the material is considered legal from a legal standpoint. "In this case, journalist Sales Dantas, upon learning that a criminal vote-buying scheme was underway, decided to prove the crime on his own initiative through a telephone recording. The finding was that they had already agreed on the amount of 600 to buy all the leaders in the municipality. The Justice system understands that it is only illegal when none of the interlocutors are aware of the recording," stated lawyer Francisco Ferreira, adding that the mayor who appears in the recording believed he was continuing the negotiation with Senator Cássio's intermediaries.
Francisco Ferreira explained the next steps to be taken by the coalition's legal team. "The first step is with the Federal Police, because it is their responsibility to summon those involved to give statements. It is also requested that a federal police investigation be opened for electoral crime, and that it be immediately forwarded to the Electoral Public Prosecutor's Office for the filing of a judicial electoral investigation action," he said.
Application at risk
In addition to the accusation of electoral crime, Cássio's campaign faces another problem. The Regional Electoral Prosecutor's Office of Paraíba has requested the disqualification of his candidacy, alleging that he is ineligible because he was removed from office in the 2006 elections. In 2010, the politician from the PSDB party was elected senator, but only took office a year later, when the Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruled that the Clean Slate Law would only apply to the 2012 election.
Cássio was convicted of abuse of political and economic power during his 2006 reelection campaign. According to the court, he distributed 35.000 checks to voters under the pretext of a welfare program and promoted his candidacy in an official newspaper.