Court sentences Luciano Hang R$85 million for alleged electoral coercion

Judge Carlos Alberto Pereira de Castro, from the 7th Labor Court of Florianópolis, sentenced businessman Luciano Hang and the Havan store chain to pay more than R$85 million for an alleged practice of electoral coercion during the 2018 presidential campaign. The sentence is still subject to appeal and is the result of a public civil action filed by the Public Ministry of Labor (MPT).

Hang told People’s Gazette, in a note, that the decision is “unreasonable and ideological” and that the judge “followed his own ideology”. The report contacted the Regional Labor Court (TRT-SC) and is awaiting feedback on details of the conviction and the amount calculated.

According to the action, Luciano Hang had promoted political campaigns in favor of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), compulsorily involving his employees in the company’s “civic acts”. The businessman is accused of threatening to close stores and fire employees if the opposing candidate, Fernando Haddad (PT), won the election.

The prosecution also alleges that workers would have been forced to reveal their electoral preferences in internal polls, even when the preference of the company owner was already known.

According to details of the process, which takes place in secrecy, and which the UOL had access, the prosecutors highlight that “the defendants took advantage of their status as employers to impose their political opinion regarding the candidates for the Presidency of the Republic and to bind, in an absolutely reprehensible way, the maintenance of the jobs of their collaborators” . The coercion would have been carried out through humiliating and vexatious methods, including mandatory electoral polls without legal support.

In response to the decision, Luciano Hang claimed that no irregularities were proven during the time of the events, citing examinations carried out by the Labor Court. The businessman also said that the judge acted in accordance with his own ideology, portraying him as a criminal.

“It’s completely absurd. In fact, at the time of the events, several inspections were carried out appointed by the Labor Court itself and nothing was proven, there were no irregularities. The judge should have followed the evidence, which he didn’t do, he followed his own ideology. Once again the businessman is being portrayed as a criminal,” he said.

Hang also stated that “everything was done to guarantee the freedom of employees. After all, we still have collaborators from various other political ideologies on our staff. In fact, it is important to remember that the vote is secret and each person voted according to their conviction.”

The businessman also states that the complaint did not come from employees, but from public agents with political activism and unions. “We are calm and will appeal the decision, after all, nothing was done wrong and this had already been proven back then. We still believe in Brazilian Justice”, he added.