Brazilian President Jair Bolzano did not appear before federal police in Brasilia this Friday because a Supreme Court judge had ordered him the day before, opening up a new chapter of tensions with the judiciary.
At the request of Supreme Court Justice (STF) Judge Alexandre de Moraes, the far-right president will appear in person at the Federal Police (PF) headquarters in the capital at 2:00 pm local time (5:00 pm GMT). , As part of an investigation against the president over the disclosure of confidential documents.
After a deadline for Paulsonaro to choose a day and a place to testify, Moraes decided on a face-to-face hearing this Friday, the privilege of being president.
After the summons, and 11 minutes before the scheduled time, the Union Attorney General (AGU), Bruno Bianco, filed a new appeal seeking an exemption from the Presidential hearing, which was again rejected by the judge.
The AGU claims that Bolsanaro has a constitutional right not to appear, demanding that Moraes’ decision be reversed or that the court, which has at least 11 judges, review the case.
Dozens of journalists gathered at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia, waiting for the court or the president’s new move.
The investigation, which began in August 2021, seeks to determine whether the president improperly released confidential documents questioning the credibility of the electoral system.
In a live broadcast and on his social networks, Bolzano released a police report on the 2018 cyber attack on the High Court (TSE).
The President released these documents in accordance with the TSE’s brief secrecy, with the intention of proving that the electronic voting system used in Brazil since 1996 is not reliable, which has not been confirmed by any competent body.
According to Cryomer de Souza, a political analyst with the consulting firm Dharma, this Friday’s episode was a “new chapter” in the conflict between Bolzano and Moraes, which allowed him to launch several investigations.
Bolzano has publicly and harshly criticized the various decisions of Moraes.
The judge points out that “whenever he can, he exposes Bolzano to show that he does not have the ability to face justice, and summoning him to testify in person ends up being an important symbolic message.”
In the wake of another investigation approved by Moraes, Bolzano was already being investigated by PF agents last November in an attempt to determine whether he tried to interfere with the Federal Police in files related to his relatives.
On this occasion, the President answered questions at the Planet Palace, the seat of the Presidency in Brasilia.
