Million-dollar contract benefited Moro's friend during Lava Jato, says congressman.

Brazil of Fact - The multi-million dollar contract awarded to lawyer René Ariel Dotti to defend Petrobras in Operation Lava Jato was the subject of a complaint filed with the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) due to a conflict of interest stemming from his close relationship with former judge Sergio Moro.

The author of the complaint, filed on the 15th, federal deputy Paulo Teixeira (PT-SP) requests the termination of the contract between the state-owned company Petrobras and the lawyer René Ariel Dotti, worth R$ 3 million. 

"We are seeing a conflict of interest, a possible case of malfeasance, and we have asked the TCU (Federal Court of Accounts) to investigate," says Teixeira.

Prevarication is the act of "unduly delaying or failing to perform an official act, or performing it against an express provision of law, to satisfy a personal interest or feeling," according to article 319 of the Penal Code.

In the document, the parliamentarian states that "this path taken by lawyer René Ariel Dotti may indicate a serious conflict of interest, insofar as, on the one hand, he allegedly acted in defense of Petrobras' interests and, on the other hand, he is now advocating against the public interest, in the same area of ​​Operation Lava Jato, to prevent a plea bargain that could influence the outcome of Sergio Moro's judicial decisions."

Hired as an assistant prosecutor for the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) to defend the state-owned company within the scope of Operation Lava Jato, in the 13th Federal Court of Curitiba, Dotti also allegedly acted as Carlos Zucolotto's defense attorney, according to Teixeira.

He was accused by Odebrecht's former lawyer, Rodrigo Tacla Duran, of attempted extortion and of mediating negotiations parallel to Operation Lava Jato, involving bribe payments between informants and investigators of the operation. 

Zucolotto is also a close friend of Sergio Moro, who was a judge in the 13th Federal Court of Curitiba, a partner of Rosângela Moro in the company HZM2 Cursos e Palestras, and best man at their wedding.

Dotti, however, never informed Petrobras that he had worked on cases for Carlos Zucolotto, nor about his friendship with the former Minister of Justice and Public Security.

According to Paulo Teixeira, Dotti acted on both sides of the issue, violating the Penal Code. "What we are saying is this: Dotti is on both sides. He is defending public assets, but he is also representing defendants in Operation Lava Jato," Teixeira states.

In addition to the fixed fee of R$ 3 million, the contract with Dotti stipulates an additional R$ 80 per criminal case when the lawyer acts on behalf of Petrobras as an interested party, and R$ 100 as an assistant to the Public Prosecutor's Office, for each criminal case. The criminal cases, linked to Sergio Moro's decisions, had a direct impact on Dotti's revenue.

"I hope that the TCU (Federal Court of Accounts) indicates that if there is any conflict of interest, it should order Petrobras to terminate the contract with this lawyer. And if there is any precariousness, it should refer the matter to the Public Prosecutor's Office to investigate and prosecute any crime of malfeasance," explains the congressman.

In addition to the contract's revocation, Teixeira also requests the initiation of an investigation into the alleged acts of administrative misconduct and the collection of testimonies from Zucolotto, Moro, Dotti, and their partners, as well as the recording of all payments and invoices made by the state-owned company to Dotti's law firm and a list of all the lawyer's clients.