Lula denies being a friend of Zanin and says he will never “need his favor” in the STF

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) denied that he has a friendly relationship with his former lawyer in the Lava Jato processes, Cristiano Zanin, who was appointed by him to a vacancy of Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF). The jurist had his nomination approved by the Senate and takes office in August.

“He [Zanin] was not a friend, he was my lawyer. He is an extremely capable person. Zanin was chosen because Zanin is a man of the present and a man of the future. He is very studious, he is very competent, very dedicated and very serious. Those were the reasons why he was chosen. And I think he will be an extraordinary minister of the Supreme Court”, said Lula in an interview with TV Record this Thursday (13).

The removal of the friendship relationship with Zanin contradicts what he himself said in May, that the lawyer is his “friend”, in an interview with BandNews FM. During last year’s election campaign, Lula stated in the Band debate that “trying to move the Supreme Court to place a friend, to place a partner, a supporter, is a delay and setback that Brazil already knows, and I am against it”.

Still in the interview this Thursday (13), Lula said that any topic he needs to discuss with Zanin will not be something personal, but for the interests of the country. And that she will never need to ask the magistrate for a favor, since she will “never” do anything wrong.

“And I can say that I will never need a personal favor from Zanin, because I will never do anything wrong”, he said.

The president cited other STF ministers who were appointed by him, in the two previous terms, and stressed that he does not want “a friendly relationship” with the members of the Supreme Court. “Everyone I referred knows. Ayres Britto knows that, Joaquim [Barbosa] knows that, Carmen Lúcia knows that. Everyone knows I don’t ask for favors. I don’t want a friendship relationship, I want a respectful relationship”, she completed in the interview.

Lula will have to nominate another minister to the STF in October, when Rosa Weber will retire. According to him, the nominated person “can be a woman, a man, a black person. I will always indicate people with the interests of Brazilian society, serious, responsible. I don’t want anyone to make fun of these important positions”.

“Gang”

Lula also showed resentment towards bodies such as the STF and the Federal Public Ministry due to the convictions he had during Operation Lava Jato, which led to his imprisonment in 2018 for corruption and money laundering. According to him, the MPF formed a “gang”.

“When there is a behavior that occurred, in which a gang was assembled in the Public Ministry, led by the [ex-procurador e ex-deputado Deltan] Dallagnol, when that happens, then you will ask for a fair judgment from the Supreme Court. But personal favor, I will never ask,” he said.