Brazilian court orders Havan and Luciano Hang to pay R$ 85 million for electoral harassment in 2018.
Businessman Luciano Hang was convicted of coercing Havan employees to vote for Jair Bolsonaro in the 2018 presidential election.
247 - Judge Carlos Alberto Pereira de Castro, of the 7th Labor Court of Florianópolis, ordered the Havan stores and their owner, businessman Luciano Hang, to pay more than R$ 85 million for intimidating their employees into voting for Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the 2018 presidential election. This information comes from a column by journalist [name missing]. Leonardo SakamotoAccording to UOL, the ruling, which is subject to appeal, is the result of a public civil action filed by the Labor Prosecutor's Office (MPT).
According to the Brazilian Labor Prosecutor's Office (MPT), Luciano Hang allegedly promoted political campaigns in favor of Bolsonaro, forcibly involving employees in "civic acts" within the company. The businessman is accused of threatening to close stores and fire employees if Fernando Haddad (PT), Bolsonaro's opponent at the time, won the election. Furthermore, workers were allegedly coerced into participating in internal polls, revealing who they would vote for, even when Hang's preference for Bolsonaro was already known.
According to the prosecutors, "the defendants used their position as employers to impose their political opinions on presidential candidates, linking job security to humiliating and vexatious methods, such as mandatory 'election polls' without legal basis."
In response to the decision, Luciano Hang called the measure "absurd." "It's totally absurd. Even at the time of the events, several expert analyses were conducted, commissioned by the Labor Court itself, and nothing was proven; there were no irregularities. The judge should have followed the evidence, which he didn't; he followed his own ideology. Once again, the businessman is being portrayed as the villain," said the businessman.
According to the report, the total amount, estimated at over R$ 85 million, is subject to change. The decision mandates compliance with the sentence ten days after all appeals have been exhausted and obligates Havan and Luciano Hang to refrain from attempting to influence the vote of their employees.