judge may be subject to suspicion for photo with Moro

Judge Cláudia Cristina Cristofani may be the target of requests for suspicion in the trial of the action against senator Sergio Moro (União-PR) for abuse of economic power, which must be scheduled upon the return of the activities of the Regional Electoral Court of Paraná (TRE-PR ), starting on the 22nd.

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The date of the trial has not yet been defined in the Court’s session agenda, which is expected to undergo changes of chairs due to the end of the terms of office of the electoral judges scheduled for the next few weeks, including the president and vice of TRE-PR, who leave the positions on January 31st. Cláudia Cristofani’s name is taken for granted in the trial, as the magistrate holds the position as a federal judge.

After the publication of a photo next to Moro, taken by columnist Lauro Jardim, The globeand the history of decisions favorable to the former judge, the judge’s impartiality can be questioned by the parties responsible for the action: Liberal Party (PL) and the Federation formed by PT-PV-PCdoB.

“We learned about the photograph through the press. We do not know the circumstances of the event and are still evaluating whether we will take any action. For now, we continue to trust that the TRE-PR will continue with its tradition of a technical and impartial judgment, in the same sense as the opinion of the PRE (Regional Electoral Prosecutor’s Office)”, replied lawyer Luiz Peccinin, who represents the Federation headed by the PT, in note sent to People’s Gazette. In December, the Public Electoral Ministry issued a favorable opinion for the revocation of Moro’s mandate for abuse of economic power.

When contacted by the report, the PL’s lawyer, Guilherme Ruiz Neto, stated that he will not comment on taking any action after the photo was released. Moro’s press office was contacted, but did not return until the publication of this text.

Cláudia Cristofani took office as a federal judge at the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region (TRF4) in 2013 and reported on Operation Lava Jato cases in the 4th Criminal Section of the TRF4, responsible for analyzing appeals against decisions of the 8th Panel.

In 2019, the 4th Section denied the requests for suspicion presented by the defense of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the case of the Atibaia site (SP) against judges Carlos Eduardo Thompson Flores and João Pedro Gebran Neto. The PT’s lawyers asked the Court to postpone the trial, but Cristofani, the case’s rapporteur, maintained the magistrates’ participation in the case.

The judge’s term as electoral judge at TRE-PR began on June 8, 2022 and ends on June 7, 2024, completing two years. If she is considered a suspect to participate in Moro’s trial, which could culminate in the impeachment of the senator elected in Paraná with 1.9 million votes, Cristofani would be replaced by Gebran Neto, who occupies the position of substitute federal judge at the TRE Court. PR, which was the target of the request for suspicion of Lula’s defense during the Lava Jato trials in the 4th Region.

During the 2022 elections, Moro’s candidacy for the Senate was the target of six requests for impeachment. Cristofani was the case’s rapporteur and voted to reject and archive all complaints. At the end of 2022, the judge was also the rapporteur in another case involving Moro: the approval of the campaign accounts of the elected senator, the object of the unified action between PL and PT for abuse of economic power in the elections.

The accusation is that Moro benefited from spending in the pre-presidential campaign by Podemos, before migrating to União Brasil and running for the Senate seat in Paraná, in the election with a lower spending limit compared to campaigns by candidates for president of the Republic.