TSE denies defense requests and includes draft in action against Bolsonaro

The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) endorsed the decision of Minister Benedito Gonçalves and included the draft found by the Federal Police in the house of Anderson Torres, former Minister of Justice and former Secretary of Public Security of the Federal District, in the PDT action against the former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The text suggested to Bolsonaro the possibility of establishing a state of defense at the TSE headquarters. The decision was given unanimously at the TSE session on Tuesday night (14).

The PDT action deals with the meeting of the then President of the Republic with ambassadors, at the Alvorada Palace, last year, to deal with alleged irregularities in the electronic ballot boxes and in the electoral process.

Gonçalves, who is the rapporteur for the action, defended the rejection of the request for reconsideration made by Bolsonaro’s defense in this Tuesday’s session. The president’s lawyers asked that the document not be admitted in the lawsuit.

Previously, on January 16, in a monocratic decision, the rapporteur had already decided to include the draft in the action. Now, the TSE plenary followed the decision.

In addition, Minister Alexandre de Moraes, president of the Electoral Court, did not allow Bolsonaro’s defense to make oral arguments. According to him, the request was denied because there was no regimental provision.

The court also set guidelines to be adopted regarding the “admissibility of supervening facts and new documents” in the Electoral Judicial Investigation Actions (Aijes) of the 2022 presidential election.