Toffoli’s erudition when talking about Lava Jato – 12/23/2023 – Elio Gaspari

In the decision that alleviated the fines imposed on the Batista brothers’ J&F from R$10.3 billion to R$3.5 billion, minister José Antonio Dias Toffoli indulged in a literary reflection. He criticized Operation Lava Jato by comparing it to the misfortune of Jean Valjean, the character in “Les Misérables”, by Victor Hugo, and to Edmond Dantès, the “Count of Monte Cristo”, by Alexandre Dumas. They are two masterful novels.

In Toffoli’s view, the brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista, like Valjean and Dantès, were heroes victimized by abusive and violent punishments.

In his words:

“In literature, Dantès overcomes his bitter fate by becoming the Count of Monte Cristo, while Valjean begins to rebuild his life when he finds himself free, establishing unexpected relationships between different types of miserable people in 19th century Paris.

The imminent and never fully satisfied revenge unites the heroes and separates us from romantic literature, after all, when it comes to a true injustice in Lava Jato Brazil, it is the STF who has fulfilled the role of the narrator who leaves us aware of how abusive and unfair outside the process and mitigates, as far as is procedurally possible, the damages of what can be considered the most abusive Operation known under the aegis of the 1988 Constitution”.

He hit hard, but he didn’t need to resort to Dantès and Valjean. Dantès was innocent and was the victim of a plot. Incarcerated, he meets the abbot Faria, who gives him a treasure map. He runs away and lives as a nabob, assuming several identities. It’s a magnificent story, but Dantès’ business, transformed into Count of Monte Cristo, is revenge. Nothing to do with justice.

The case of Jean Valjean was different. He was arrested for stealing a loaf of bread and spent time in forced labor. Later, he stole some candlesticks. Valjean changed his identity, became rich and only did good in life, always protecting the girl Cosette. Behind him is always the police officer Javert, an obsessed man. At one point Valjean is able to kill Javert and spares him. Humiliated, the police officer commits suicide.

Dantès, an innocent man, and Valjean, a guilty man, were characters constructed by Dumas and Victor Hugo. Both were good men.

Lava Jato did everything, but it didn’t incriminate innocent people like Dantès or bread thieves like Valjean.

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