Witzel tries to meet at Planalto, but Lula government refuses – 02/15/2023 – Politics

The former governor of Rio Wilson Witzel, who lost office after the impeachment process, was this Wednesday afternoon (15) at the Planalto Palace to try to participate in a meeting. However, the communication from the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) stated that it was not received.

Witzel was an ally of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) in the 2018 election, but broke later and accused Bolsonarists of being behind the process of removal from office.

The impeached governor arrived at Planalto in mid-afternoon, but refused to say which office he was heading to, after being questioned by journalists. He said only that he would give interviews after their meeting. But he later left in a hurry and would not comment on his visit to the palace.

The Secom (Secretary of Social Communication) of the Presidency of the Republic informed in a note that Witzel sought to participate in a meeting improperly, but that he was barred. He ended up not being received by anyone from the federal government.

“The Institute of Applied Legal Studies (Ieja) asked for an agenda to present a project to the Secretariat of Social Communication (Secom). Former governor Wilson Witzel, who is a supporter of the Institute, was aware of the agenda and tried to participate. former governor was not foreseen in the agenda. He was not received by anyone from Secom”, states the text of the note.

Lula was on a two-day trip to the Northeast region, for the launch of the Minha Casa Minha Vida program and for the inauguration of works.

Witzel was punished with disqualification from exercising any public function for five years by the Special Mixed Court, which judged the impeachment process. He was the subject of four complaints on charges of corruption in a health deviation scheme, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He registered to return to office in the election last year, for the PMB party, but was barred.

Former federal judge, Witzel officially entered politics in March 2018 for the PSC, being elected governor of Rio de Janeiro, with the support of the Bolsonaro family, in particular Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (Republicanos-RJ).

Months after taking office, Witzel broke with the president. With no transit among the deputies of the Legislative Assembly, the then governor was left without a political base to sustain him after the appearance of the accusations of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Since the beginning of the process, Witzel claims that his removal is due to the action of then President Bolsonaro, a former ally of whom he became an opponent in his first year in office.

Witzel was accused of a crime of responsibility and irregularities in hiring field hospitals to combat the coronavirus pandemic. He was also blamed for allegedly favoring a businessman by annulling the punishment of a social organization for his role in the Health Department.