The 5th Panel of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) unanimously denied an appeal presented by the defense of former federal deputy André Vargas against conviction for alleged payment of bribes, investigated in the context of Operation Car Wash.
Vargas and others investigated appealed the conviction for an alleged corruption scheme involving advertising contracts with Caixa Econômica Federal and the Ministry of Health.
The rapporteur, Minister Jesuíno Rissato, considered that “further considerations on the point would require the involvement of the factual and evidentiary set, a task that is beyond the scope of the special appeal”.
The accused allege that the 13th Federal Court of Curitiba, which sentenced them, was incompetent for the trial, since the crimes were not related to Petrobras.
They also claim that the crime of corruption, a previous criminal offense, would have taken place in Brasília, while the crimes of money laundering, as narrated in the indictment made by the Public Ministry, would have taken place in São Paulo.
The 13th Court of Curitiba was commanded by former judge Sergio Moro, who judged most of the corruption cases investigated by Lava Jato.
Case of former President Lula
In March of last year, the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) Edson Fachin annulled convictions imposed on former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by the 13th Federal Court of Curitiba on the grounds that it was not the competent body to analyze four lawsuits. against PT.
As a result, the cases of the Guarujá triplex, the Atibaia site and two actions involving the Lula Institute were removed from Curitiba and Lula’s convictions were annulled.
Since then, the former president regained his political rights and was free to contest the elections.
Source: CNN Brasil
