Lula’s allies mock Deltan Dallagnol’s impeachment by the TSE

Members of the PT and allies of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva celebrate the decision of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) against Deputy Deltan Dallagnol (Podemos-PR). The government supporters, who were in the National Congress to accompany the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, during a public hearing, took the opportunity to praise the setback against the opposition member in a climate that bordered on the delight of revenge.

Privately, government leaders admitted that the decision by the TSE against the former prosecutor of the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) is a reflection of the fact that “justice is slow, but it does not fail”. Dallagnol is considered one of the main opponents of the PT due to his performance during the anti-corruption proceedings of Operation Lava Jato against Lula.

“Justice’s decision is made to be fulfilled. They even arrested Lula unfairly, so let the TSE’s decision be fulfilled”, defended the leader of the government in the Chamber, deputy José Guimarães (PT-CE).

Also this Wednesday (14), the mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), opened a consultation with the House’s legal department to find out what should be the procedure to expel Dallagnol from the Chamber after being notified by the Electoral Justice. The expectation is that the former prosecutor ceases to exercise the mandate of deputy, even if he presents appeals to the Federal Supreme Court (STF).

Gleisi is wrong on social networks when calling Dallagnol a dirty record

On social networks, the national president of the PT, deputy Gleisi Hoffmann (PR), celebrated the decision against Dallagnol. The parliamentarian mocked the TSE decision based on the PowerPoint presentation used by the then Lava Jato prosecutor, in 2016, when he presented accusations against Lula.

“Now Deltan Dallagnol has a PowerPoint to call his own! Impeached! He responds to pending administrative processes as a prosecutor, that is, he has a dirty record. He was also condemned by the TCU for expenses with per diems and tickets in the Lava Jato operation”, said the petista.

However, Gleisi’s statement is not correct as the action against Dallagnol was suspended in September 2022 as the court of accounts ignored legal principles and the defendant’s guarantees. TSE’s decision for impeachment was not based on the lawsuit against Dallagnol at TCU.

There were also no pending administrative proceedings against the former prosecutor at the time he asked for exoneration in November 2021. The TSE based its decision to impeach Dallagnol on the assumption that these proceedings could have taken place if he had not asked for exoneration.

Planalto ironizes Dallagnol’s impeachment with PowerPoint on government networks

At the same time, Lula’s communication used the official social networks of the federal government to publish a post with an image alluding to the PowerPoint presentation made by Dallagnol. The presentation by the then Lava Jato prosecutor had Lula’s name surrounded by expressions such as “petrolão + bribery”, “corrupted governance”, “criminal perpetuation in power”, “mensalão”, “illicit enrichment”, “José Dirceu”, among others.

Now, the publication of the Palácio do Planalto brings a circle written “137 days of government” and several arrows coming out of it. Around it are written, also in circles: appreciation of the minimum wage, Minha Casa, Minha Vida, Smiling Brazil, More Doctors, Readjustment in lunch, R$ 3.8 billion invested in culture, 3,500 works in education, falling inflation.

The post was also republished on other official government profiles, such as SecomVC and the Presidency of the Republic, accounts of the Secretariat of Communication and the Presidency itself. Responsible for government communication, the chief minister of the Communication Secretariat (Secom), Paulo Pimenta, also went public to comment on Dallagnol’s impeachment.

“A lie only lasts until the truth comes. May justice continue to be done to all who profited from the destruction of democracy,” she said.

This is not the first time that the Lula government has used official communication channels to mock opponents. Recently, for example, Secom also posted about the case of jewelry in Saudi Arabia and the investigation of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s vaccine cards.

Deletion of Deltan Dallagnol’s mandate was at the request of Lula’s coalition

The decision to lose Deltan Dallagnol’s federal deputy mandate was in response to requests made by the Brasil da Esperança federation, which elected President Lula, and by the National Mobilization Party (PMN). In addition to the PT, the federation is composed of the PCdoB and the PV.

The parties triggered the Regional Electoral Court (TRE) of Paraná, stating that Dallagnol asked for his resignation from the position of public prosecutor at a time when investigations and administrative disciplinary proceedings (PADs) would still be pending against him. These processes could lead to penalties that would make you ineligible. The statement is wrong, as there was no active PAD at the time of the dismissal request.

The TRE-PR dismissed the request, and the parties appealed to the TSE, a political court, which agreed with the accusation. “Dallagnol anticipated his exoneration in fraud of the law. He used subterfuge to avoid PADs or other cases involving alleged administrative impropriety and damage to public coffers. All this because the seriousness of the facts could lead to his resignation”, summarized the rapporteur of the case at the TSE, Minister Benedito Gonçalves, who is a close ally of Minister Alexandre de Moraes.

A critic of Lava Jato and an ally of President Lula, Senator Renan Calheiros (MDB-AL) celebrated the decision by the TSE. “Deltan Dallagnol committed an offense in the MP eager for power. To defraud the law, he anticipated the exoneration to escape the clean record.