“Wealth should not serve as a shield for impunity,” judge says in arrest warrant for Gustavo Lima

“Wealth should not serve as a shield for impunity,” judge says in arrest warrant for Gustavo Lima


The court ordered the singer’s arrest this Monday

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The economic power of the suspects was cited as a determining factor in the “maintenance of the arrest warrant” of the singer Gustavo Lima in Operation Integration, which targets an alleged money laundering scheme involving gambling. According to Judge Andrea da Cruz, of the Court of Justice of Pernambuco, financial resources could be used to hinder the investigation.

“It should also be noted that the malevolence of fugitives with strong economic power is an alarming phenomenon that calls into question the effectiveness of the application of criminal law. […] With substantial financial resources, they are able to sustain a life on the run, making it difficult for the authorities to act and obtain justice,” reads an extract of the decision published on Monday 23.

With economic power there is the possibility of “influencing the judicial process, intimidating witnesses or financing evasion strategies” during investigations, as the judge recalled.

“Such a situation creates a scenario in which the application of criminal law becomes virtually impossible. The ability to conceal and obstruct investigations becomes a weapon in the hands of those who refuse to face the consequences of their actions. Furthermore, economic power can be used to influence the judicial process, intimidate witnesses or finance evasion strategies, further undermining the integrity of the system,” the text continues.

In the arrest warrant, the judge emphasizes Gusttavo Lima’s closeness to fugitives José André da Rocha Neto and Aislla Sabrina Henriques Truta Rocha. According to the decision, they would have embarked together from Goiânia to Kavala, Greece, passing through Athens, also in the country.

On the return journey, however, the plane returned to Brazil without the couple and included a visit to the Canary Islands in its itinerary, which suggests that they may have landed on the Spanish island or stayed in Greece.

Referring to the trip, Andrea da Cruz stresses that “wealth must not serve as a shield for impunity, nor as a means to escape legal responsibility” and that the attempt to exempt oneself from consequences through financial ties is an “affront to the fundamental principles of the rule of law and the very notion of justice”.

Given the scenario, the decision reinforces that “maintaining the arrest warrant becomes essential”.

In a statement sent to EarthGustavo Lima’s defense has called the decision ordering the singer’s arrest “unjust and without legal basis” and said it will spare no effort to prove the innocence of its compatriot.

Source: Terra

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