Genoino: "I was condemned beforehand by the media"
A licensed congressman from the PT-SP party, who received a 6-year and 11-month prison sentence in the AP 470 case, says he is experiencing "a whirlwind in his head where poetry and blood are mixed"; he reiterates his innocence and asks for an end to the fundraising campaign to raise R$ 468 to pay the Supreme Court fine: "Thank you, comrades, but let's wait for the end of the trial," he said on Facebook.
247 – In a rare public appearance since undergoing aortic dissection, Congressman José Genoino (PT-SP), currently on leave from his position, said he is experiencing "a whirlwind in his head where poetry and blood are mixed." He was sentenced by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to 6 years and 11 months in prison for conspiracy and active corruption, and fined R$ 468. Recently, he requested disability retirement from the Chamber of Deputies, claiming that heart problems prevent him from working.
"I was condemned beforehand by the media because I was president of the PT. I am innocent, I committed no crime," he said in an interview with a program of the Perseu Abramo Foundation, a PT think tank.
Genoino also stated that the conviction is an "experience of a new type of discrimination, of prejudice," but said he holds no grudges. "I learned in life not to harbor hatred or resentment. It hurts, it's detrimental."
Just yesterday, on Facebook, the congressman asked for an end to a donation campaign that aimed to raise R$ 468 to pay the fine.
"I greatly appreciate the concern of my colleagues, but we believe it is not appropriate, at this time, to promote any kind of campaign of this type. We will wait for the trial to conclude," he said.
A public servant from the Mato Grosso government created a website in which he intends to raise money to help the former president of the PT. Edmar Roberto Prandini says that the website has been online since Sunday night (10) and by Monday morning R$ 800 had been raised.