Deputies ask PGR to investigate Lula and Padilha for trying to stop CPMI

Federal deputies André Fernandes (PL-CE), Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) and Filipe Barros (PL-PR) asked the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) this Wednesday (15) to investigate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Minister Alexandre Padilha, of Institutional Relations, for acts of administrative impropriety in an attempt to block the opening of a CPMI to investigate the acts of January 8.

The request, obtained by People’s Gazetteis signed by the three parliamentarians and points out that the government would be working to convince deputies to withdraw their signatures since the request was filed by André Fernandes on the night of January 27th, with the necessary number of adhesions.

In one of the excerpts of the document, the parliamentarians cite speeches by government base deputies to the press about how the government has been working to dehydrate the CPMI. One of them was given by Zeca Dirceu (PT-PR) to CNN Brasil, that he would be making “a very great effort with the leaders of other parties, for whom, perhaps in an unwary way, he signed this CPI, still in time to withdraw the signature” .

Another section also says that there is a “persecution” by the president and allies against deputies who signed the request, no longer being appointed to positions and not receiving payment for individual amendments. The request reproduces an excerpt from an article published by G1 that the government would be targeting parliamentarians mainly from União Brasil, a party that nominated three ministers on the Esplanada, but who would not have followed the Planalto’s orientation to withdraw their signatures.

“They are summoning the new parliamentarians to the Planalto Palace to intimidate them. Anyone who does not sign the CPMI will not receive the money, which is our right to take to the state. And, I’m saying this because I went there today [7 de março], to know what they were going to say. And they have the nerve to want to coerce the new deputies who arrived in the house”, said deputy Zé Trovão (PL-SC) in the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies, in an excerpt reported by G1.

Other vehicles such as Revista Oeste and the website O Antagonista echoed Trovão’s speech. The Estadão newspaper went further and pointed out that three deputies would have withdrawn their signatures from the application after the meeting: Chiquinho Brazão (União Brasil-RJ), Célio Silveira (MDB-GO) and Pastor Gil (PL-MA), according to André Fernandes.

“Such news brings strong indications that denote an attempt to curb the installation of a CPMI, mainly by Mr. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Mr. Alexandre Padilha, upon a promise not to pay the individual amendments to parliamentarians who did not withdraw their favorable signatures for the start of the Parliamentary Commission.”, say the three parliamentarians in the investigation request requested from the PGR.

calculation of People’s Gazette published last Tuesday (14) points out that 191 deputies and 35 senators have already signed the request for the opening of the CPMI, above the necessary minimum of 171 parliamentarians in the Chamber and 27 in the Senate. In addition to the three deputies cited by Fernandes, José Neto (PP-GO) would also have withdrawn from the application.

Attempt to coerce deputies goes against the Constitution

The deputies also register the articles of the Constitution that point out the necessary reasons for opening the process of administrative improbity, such as the attempt to attack “the free exercise of the Legislative Power, the Judiciary Power, the Public Ministry and the Constitutional Powers of the units of the Federation”.

This fact is that, “even when simply tempted, they are liable to the penalty of loss of office, with disqualification, for up to five years, for the exercise of any public function”.

The threat of detriment to nominations for public office or non-payment of parliamentary amendments also violates the Constitution, according to the deputies. “Using violence or threats against any representative of the Nation to remove him from the Chamber to which he belongs or to coerce him in the way of exercising his mandate, as well as to achieve or try to achieve the same objective through bribery or other forms of corruption”, highlight.

“It cannot be admitted that such Federal Government authorities intend to manipulate the exercise of the public role democratically conferred on elected parliamentarians, supposedly offering them advantages, which all indicate, are illegal in exchange for impeding investigations regarding attacks on democratic institutions” , complete the parliamentarians in the justification of the request.

The three deputies complete the request for investigation by stating that “in view of the above, the present crime report is required to be admitted not only due to the public notoriety of the acts imputed to Mr. President of the Republic and Mr. Minister of Institutional Relations, but mainly due to the evidence presented during the course of the petition, consequently, the promotion of an investigation by this Attorney General’s Office, in order to verify the facts presented, as well as to offer a complaint for due accountability, if it concludes by occurrence of the indicated conducts”.