The Supreme Federal Court granted the habeas corpus petition filed by influencer Deolane Bezerra and businessman Darwin Filho, who thus were not required to testify.
Brazil.- Influencer Deolane Bezerra and businessman Darwin Filho did not attend the meeting of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting this Tuesday, October 29. They obtained a habeas corpus from the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to not be compelled to testify before the commission.
The president of the parliamentary commission of inquiry, Senator Jorge Kajuru, regretted the absences and disagreed with the decision of STF minister, André Mendonça, who made their presence at the CPI optional. According to Kajuru, Bezerra and Filho are "up to their necks" in irregularities related to betting.
He then expressed his discontent: "There's no need for this CPI anymore. If the STF exists to judge and condemn dishonest people, what is it doing here? It’s inviting... it’s an invitation for you to steal in betting. The STF simply invites: 'You can steal a bet, you can do whatever you want, come here and we will give you protection and you won’t attend the CPI,'" Kajuru criticized the representative of the judiciary before describing André Mendonça’s decision as "political interference of a representative of the Judicial Power in the Legislative Power."
"If decisions like those made by Minister André Mendonça are adopted on a large scale, they will inevitably lead to the emptying of parliamentary commissions of inquiry; in other words, there's no need for more CPI! From now on, a very serious precedent has been set. Why have a CPI, if the Supreme Federal Court continues to act in this way?" continued Senator Kajuru in his charge against the judicial official.
Senator Carlos Portinho also complained. For him, the STF violates parliamentary prerogatives and prevents the Senate from exercising one of its functions.
Recently, Deolane Bezerra was arrested in an operation by the Civil Police of Pernambuco against a criminal organization dedicated to illegal betting and money laundering. According to the request for her to appear at the CPI, there is consistent evidence of illicit practices by the company, as highlighted by the Operation Integration investigation, which resulted in the arrest of Deolane Bezerra.
In addition to rejecting the STF's resolution regarding the individuals summoned to testify, the CPI also advanced in approving a request demanding that the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) investigate in the sports betting market possible bettors who could have benefited from the expulsion of player Rafa Silva in the first seconds of the football match between Athletico Paranaense and Cruzeiro on Saturday, October 26.
It was undoubtedly one of the fastest expulsions in the history of world football. Information immediately appeared on social networks -unconfirmed- that there were bettors benefiting from the expulsion of Rafa Silva," states Kajuru in the request, about the red card received by the football player 3 seconds into the game.
"We even asked the Federal Police to investigate this complaint that appeared on social networks, according to which a bettor simply invested R$ 50,000 (USD 8,000) on the expulsion of Rafael Silva," added Kajuru.
