Bolsonaro tries to reduce and postpone fines after donation via Pix – 08/10/2023 – Power

Former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) has more than R$ 1 million in outstanding fines with the São Paulo State Health Department. The amount referring to seven infractions, for not wearing a mask during the pandemic, has not yet been paid because the defense of the former representative tries to reduce the amount charged.

According to lawyer Karina Kufa, who works for Bolsonaro in these cases, the defense understands that the amounts charged are exorbitant and “outside the legal guidelines applied at the time”. Therefore, the office filed an appeal asking for revisions.

This year, Bolsonaro allies encouraged donations from supporters so that Bolsonaro could pay the fines for his convictions on different issues. So far, according to Coaf data revealed by the Sheethe raised at least R$ 17.2 million via Pix transaction.

According to the former president, the amount is enough to pay all the fines he received in court cases and possible new punishments.

Regarding the fines in São Paulo, Bolsonaro’s lawyer says that, of the 7 infractions, 5 already have processes and are being processed in court. Kufa says that the defense managed to reduce a fine of R$65,000 to R$524.59, an amount updated in April of this year.

However, the new amount has not yet been paid because the São Paulo State Attorney filed an appeal. Now, the legal team is working to uphold the deliberate decision in the first instance, according to Kufa.

“This process can take a long time, because both we and the Attorney General’s Office can appeal. If the Attorney’s Office is not satisfied with our victory in the second instance, they can appeal to the STJ and even reach the STF”, says the lawyer.

The lawyer also said that there is no conviction that Bolsonaro needs to pay at this time, because the processes can still be discussed.

According to the Government of SP, the fines imposed are related to the lack of mask wearing in the pandemic.

The advisory also informed that the ex-president has infractions related to the lack of helmet use during motorcycle races held in the state. But, citing the LGPD (General Data Protection Law), it did not report the value or quantity of the infractions.

The values ​​of the fines originated in the Department of Health were consulted by the report on the Site of the Taxpayer of the State of São Paulo. On the page, it is possible to see amounts ranging from R$ 700 to more than R$ 400 thousand.

This Tuesday (8), the Government of São Paulo informed by means of a note that it evaluates to forgive the fines imposed during the pandemic in the state. According to the communiqué, the fines “were educational in character and not collection”. The measure may benefit Bolsonaro in relation to the seven fines motivated by the lack of mask wearing in the pandemic.

In addition to these processes in São Paulo, the former president also accumulates a debt of R$ 80,000 in Maranhão due to crowding and lack of masks during the pandemic.

According to the PGE-MA (Attorney General of the State of Maranhão), the fine was not paid and is suspended by a decision of the Federal Court. “The PGE appealed against the decision and is waiting for the Judiciary to reconsider the fine as valid”, the institution said in a note.

A Sheet tried to contact other lawyers who work on the former president’s cases to find out information about other processes, but did not receive a response until the closing of this text.

In addition to health fines, the former president accumulates other debts related to different lawsuits.

An example is the compensation to be paid by him for offenses against a reporter from the Sheet Patricia Campos Mello.

There is a second instance conviction from the Court of Justice of SP determining that he pay R$ 35,000, which, plus interest and fees, can reach more than R$ 50,000. There are still pending appeals at the STJ (Superior Court of Justice) and at the STF (Federal Supreme Court).

Bolsonaro was convicted of making a sexual innuendo against the journalist, in February 2020, when he said that she wanted to “make a scoop”. In journalistic jargon, the word scoop means exclusive information.

Another ongoing lawsuit against the former president refers to a lawsuit filed by the Union of Professional Journalists of the State of São Paulo.

In May, the state Court of Justice sentenced the former president to pay compensation of R$50,000 for collective moral damages to journalists. According to the union, Bolsonaro’s defense appealed the decision.

The action, filed on April 7, 2021, accused him of practicing moral harassment against the entire professional category, affronting the image and honor of journalists without distinction during his term, which ended last year.

Bolsonaro also has fines assigned by the TSE (Superior Electoral Court). In June, the agency maintained a fine of R$90,000 against the former president, for irregular propaganda against then-candidate Lula (PT).

Another decision by the TSE concerns the failure to comply with a court order that asked for the exclusion of images considered to be electoral propaganda, released during events of the bicentennial of Independence in Brasília and Rio de Janeiro.

Minister Benedito Gonçalves fined the former president and general Walter Braga Netto, his vice-presidential candidate on the 2022 election ticket, at R$55,000 each.