The TSE rejects the appeal and maintains the conviction of former Rio governor Anthony Garotinho for buying votes

The Electoral Court’s unanimous decision upheld lower courts’ interpretation of charges against former Rio de Janeiro governor in 2016

On Wednesday 29th, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) rejected the appeal for the annulment of the conviction presented by the former governor of Rio de Janeiro Anthony Garotinho (União). He is accused of vote buying, criminal conspiracy, suppression of documents and coercion of witnesses during the 2016 municipal elections in Campos dos Goytacazes (RJ).

The unanimous vote of the Court confirmed the decision of the Regional Electoral Tribunal of Rio de Janeiro (TRE-RJ), which sentenced Garotinho to 13 years and nine months in prison, fine and ineligibility. The rejected appeal asked for a Christmas pardon for the former governor and the extinction of the sentence for the politician, on the basis of the annulment of the conviction of another defendant.

According to Minister André Ramos Tavares, rapporteur of the case, the investigations and decisions of the lower courts have gathered sufficient evidence to support the sentencing decree. In his vote, accompanied by the rest of the chamber, Tavares rejected the demands of the politician’s defense based on testimonies, documents, expert reports and telephone interceptions obtained in the case against Garotinho.

“The Christmas pardon does not cover crimes committed with serious threat or violence against a person and cannot be granted for non-preventing crimes while the convicted person has not served the sentence for the crime that prevents the benefit”, he specified.

Remember the case

Garotinho is accused of leading a plan to use the “Cheque Cidadão” assistance program, aimed at low-income families. The goal was to obtain votes for his political group that was running for mayor of the municipality north of Rio de Janeiro. The crimes were allegedly committed between May and August 2016.

Operation Chequinho was conducted by the Federal Police, the Rio Regional Electoral Prosecutor’s Office (PRE-RJ) and the TRE-RJ to investigate the case. The investigation showed that the program increased the number of beneficiaries of the program, which granted R$200 per month per beneficiary, from 12 to 30 thousand. The payment to the population took place through a commitment to vote for the nominated candidates, according to the investigators.

According to the Public Electoral Ministry, the crimes cost the municipality R$11 million. The mayor of Campos dos Goytacazes at the time was Rosinha Matheus, wife of the former governor. She was municipal secretary of the city government.

Minister Tavares underlined that the former governor masterminded the fraud, manipulated the mechanisms of the state to allow the implementation of the plan and manipulated the popular unconscious “to create a feeling of gratitude and political dependence, with a clear capacity to corrupt and influence the will of citizens”. the voter and unbalance the electoral context”.

Source: Terra

Rose

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