STF: Lewandowski must announce retirement for April – 03/29/2023 – Power

The Minister of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) Ricardo Lewandowski informed that he will announce this Thursday (30) the date of his retirement, which has as deadline the day 11 of May, when he completes 75 years.

The forecast, according to the minister told people close to him in recent days, is that he will retire by mid-April, which anticipates the dispute for his vacancy by almost a month.

On the last 22nd, he traveled with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to Pernambuco to sign the agreement between the Union and the state for shared management of the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, when he spoke with the representative on the subject.

His replacement will be the prime minister appointed by Lula in his third term. Until October, the President of the Supreme, Rosa Weber, will also have to retire.

The president’s favorite is lawyer Cristiano Zanin, who acted as his lawyer in the Lava Jato Operation cases.

However, Lewandowski has preference for the nomination of former secretary general of the STF Manoel Carlos de Almeida Neto.

In the opinion of people close to Lula, he is the only minister among the PT nominees who was faithful to the party at all times, including in situations of pressure from the media and the opposition, such as the monthly allowance.

Lewandowski’s opinion will be important in choosing the president for the STF, but the president has already said that “everyone would understand” if he appointed his personal lawyer to the STF.

Zanin created a relationship of closeness and trust with Lula over the last decade, before the PT was arrested, and became known for his assiduity in defending the president.

If he becomes a minister, Zanin would be legally prevented from judging actions in which he acted as a lawyer, including cases related to Lava Jato.

In the evaluation of members of the Judiciary, the fact that Lewandowski anticipates retirement will not necessarily make Lula speed up the choice of nominee.

As the Panel showed, Senate leaders claim that, whatever Lula’s choice for the STF, the name should be approved without any problems.

At first, they say, there are no objections to lawyer Cristiano Zanin or Manoel Carlos Almeida Neto.

In addition to Zanin and Manoel Carlos, there are other possible candidates for the nomination to the Supreme Court, such as the president of the TCU (Union Court of Auditors) Bruno Dantas and the lawyer Pedro Serrano.