Lira annuls Rui Costa’s summons to testify to the MST’s CPI – 08/09/2023 – Panel

In a nod to the government, the mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), decided to annul the summons of minister Rui Costa (Casa Civil) to speak at the MST’s CPI.

The annulment was published in the Diary of the Chamber of Deputies this Wednesday (9) in response to an appeal filed by deputy Nilto Tatto (PT-SP) against the decision of the committee chairman, Lieutenant-Colonel Zucco (Republicanos-RS), who had dismissed a point of order made by the PT. Tatto argued that there were formal defects in the summons requirements.

In the decision, Lira argues that, according to an article in the Constitution, ministers can only be summoned to provide information before committees “when there is a correlation between the thematic field of the ministry and the substantial content of the attributions of the convening body.”

“In the present case, the application did not demonstrate the connection between the attributions of the Chief of Staff of the Presidency of the Republic and the facts investigated by the CPI about the MST”, indicates the decision.

The president of the Chamber still affirms that he does not ignore the competence of the CPls to convoke ministers of States. “It so happens that, in the present case, this was not the reason for calling the minister, but rather the competence of the commissions in general to do so, which makes it essential to explicitly demonstrate the connection between the thematic field of the commission and the attributions of the minister to be summoned.”

For the rapporteur of the CPI, Ricardo Salles (PL-SP), the decision was political. “Technically there is plenty of reason, both in relation to his management of Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency) since the red April, and the cover-up of the invasions in Bahia when he was governor.”

The summons had been approved last Tuesday (1st), in defeat for the Lula government (PT).

The committee’s parliamentarians decided to call the minister one day after the MST invaded an Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) farm in Petrolina (PE).

PRESENT LINK: Did you like this text? Subscriber can release five free hits of any link per day. Just click the blue F below.