The trial is postponed, and Arruda remains in the race.
A Supreme Court Justice suspended a second-instance trial at the request of the defense lawyers, giving the former governor of the Federal District time to continue his electoral climb, just 11 days before the deadline for candidate registration.
Brasilia 247 - Former Governor of the Federal District José Roberto Arruda (PR) remains in the running for the October elections. With 11 days remaining until the deadline for registering candidacies for the 2014 elections, Minister Napoleão Nunes Maia Filho, of the 1st Panel of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), suspended today (24) the second instance judgment scheduled for next Wednesday (25). If the conviction were upheld, Arruda could become ineligible, failing to meet the requirements of the Clean Record Law.
The defense lawyers' tactic was to request the recusal of Judge Álvaro Ciarlini, who had already convicted the politician in the first instance. Since there was no decision on this request, the STJ minister considered that the trial could not proceed.
Convicted in February of administrative misconduct for his participation in the scheme known as the DEM's mensalão in the Federal District, Arruda remains ahead in the polls. In the most recent poll, conducted by the Veritás Institute, the PR candidate obtained 24,5% of voting intentions, while Governor Agnelo Queiroz (PT) received 13%.
In 2010, when he was governor, José Roberto Arruda was arrested and had his mandate revoked by the Regional Electoral Court of the Federal District for party disloyalty – he left the DEM party at the height of the scandal.