Former aide to Palocci leaves prison in Curitiba.

Paraná 247 - Branislav Kontic, former aide to former minister Antonio Palocci, was released from prison following a decision by the 8th Panel of the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region (TRF4), which replaced pre-trial detention with alternative precautionary measures and partially granted the former aide's habeas corpus petition. Kontic, who will be monitored by an electronic ankle bracelet, is a defendant in Operation Lava Jato and faces charges of passive corruption and money laundering.

Kontic cannot leave his residence for more than 30 days without court authorization, nor can he leave the country. His Brazilian and foreign passports must remain with the court. The defendant is required to appear at all stages of the proceedings and comply with summonses. Bail was initially set at R$ 1 million, but at the request of the defense, it was changed to real security, a property located in the Pinheiros neighborhood of São Paulo (SP), valued at R$ 2,3 million.

According to Federal Judge João Pedro Gebran Neto, there is no evidence in the case files indicating the corporate relationship between Kontic and Palocci as pointed out by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, and there is evidence that the defendant acted only as an assistant to the former minister. "The defendant's situation is different from that of someone involved who holds a preponderant position in the criminal scheme and has complete control over the other agents," the judge analyzed.

Suicide attempt

In October, Judge Sérgio Moro denied Branislav Kontic's defense request to transfer him to house arrest after Kontic attempted suicide in the Federal Police jail in Curitiba by overdosing on medication. His lawyers also cited depression as a cause of death. However, the judge stated that Kontic could receive adequate treatment at the Medical-Penal Complex.

The 35th phase investigates the relationship between the Odebrecht Group and former minister Antonio Palocci. According to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF), there is evidence that Palocci and Branislav Kontic received bribes to act in favor of the construction company between 2006 and the end of 2013, interfering in decisions made by the federal government. 

"According to a spreadsheet seized during the operation, it was identified that between 2008 and the end of 2013, more than R$ 128 million was paid to the PT (Workers' Party) and its agents, including Palocci. As of October 2013, a balance of R$ 70 million in bribes remained, amounts that were also intended for the former minister to manage in the interest of the Workers' Party," says the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office.

Palocci is a defendant in the same criminal case, accused of passive corruption and money laundering. The former minister is being held in the Federal Police (PF) jail in the capital of Paraná state. He and his former advisor are also facing charges of passive corruption and money laundering in another case.