In leaked audio, Supreme Court justices criticize truckers' strike.
"What a crisis, huh! Guiomar [Gilmar's wife] is out on the street now, it's impossible," said Minister Gilmar Mendes; then Celso de Mello replied: "An absurdity, they're holding us hostage. It's fine that they might even be right here, but this is absurd. My daughter is coming from São Paulo..."; the ministers didn't realize the audio was on.
By André Richter, reporter for the Agency Brazil - Supreme Federal Court (STF) ministers Gilmar Mendes and Celso de Mello criticized the national truckers' strike during this afternoon's session (24). They did not realize that the microphone was on while they were talking.
The leaked conversation occurred during a vote in which the Court decided on the reappointment of Justice Rosa Weber to the position of full-fledged Justice of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). While the other justices voted on the matter, Mendes began the conversation with Celso, but did not realize that the microphone was on.
"What a crisis, huh! Guiomar [Gilmar's wife] is out on the street now, it's impossible," he said. Then Celso replied: "An absurdity, they're holding us hostage. It's fine that they might even be right here, but this is absurd. My daughter is coming from São Paulo...". From this point, the conversation continued, but the audio was cut off in the live broadcast.
Truck drivers have been protesting for four days against the successive increases in diesel prices. The movement has involved road blockades, which is already impacting fuel and food supplies in some regions of the country. The main demands of the group are: a reduction in taxes on the price of diesel fuel, such as PIS/Cofins and ICMS, and an end to toll charges for trucks traveling empty on federal highways managed by private companies.