MJ’s “Number 3” has his dismissal canceled to replace Cappelli

One day after being dismissed from his position as deputy executive secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Diego Galdino de Araújo returned to his position to replace the current “number 2” in the department, Ricardo Cappelli, during the vacation period.

Araújo had been dismissed hours before President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) officially announced the choice of retired minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Ricardo Lewandowski, to replace Flávio Dino in the ministry. The dismissal was initially seen by allies and interlocutors as a first act by Lewandowski in starting to appoint trusted people to important positions in the department.

Araújo’s position is that of “number 3” in the ministry, being the right-hand man of the executive secretary, who is the first to respond in the event of the minister of State’s absence. The reversal of the dismissal was published in this Friday’s (12) edition of the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU) – “to become null and void” (see in full).

Diego Galdino de Araújo is also a trusted name of Flávio Dino and had already traveled to Maranhão after his dismissal. With this Friday’s act (12), he must return to Brasília to occupy the position temporarily left open by Cappelli and monitor the beginning of the transition between the current and future minister.

Ricardo Cappelli saw the final phase of the transition until Lewandowski took office on February 1st. After that, he must be appointed to another position, but possibly outside the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

Interlocutors stated that he does not intend to take on a position that has a lesser projection than his current one, such as national secretary of public security.

Cappelli was even considered to take on the role of minister and was Flávio Dino’s favorite, but Lula decided to hand over the ministry to Lewandowski because he was close to the magistrate. He was the one who suspended the president’s criminal actions and paved the way for him to contest the 2022 presidential election.

PT’s national executive director, Camila Moreno, stated that Cappelli’s name was also dismissed by Lula due to his “anti-PT” past, in which he had made posts critical of the party on social media “less than five years ago”.