Former PT treasurer, Delúbio Soares had been convicted in the Lava Jato operation. Case will be restarted in the Electoral Justice| Photo: Marcelo Andrade/Gazeta do Povo

The Minister of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) Ribeiro Dantas annulled, this Friday (3), the conviction for money laundering of the former treasurer of the Workers’ Party (PT), Delúbio Soares, and sent the case to be restarted in the Electoral Court.

The petista had been arrested in the context of Operation Lava Jato on the charge of having instructed businessman Natalino Bertin to launder R$ 12 million obtained by cattle rancher José Carlos Bumlai, a friend of President Lula (PT), from the Schahin bank in 2004. according to the complaint, the money was used to finance election campaigns by PT and PDT politicians.

The STJ minister argued, in his decision, that the 13th Federal Court of Curitiba, of which former judge Sergio Moro was a judge, was incompetent to hear the case. In 2021, the defense of Delúbio Soares had already managed to annul another criminal action related to Lava Jato in which Delúbio had been convicted.