Chamber rejects impeachment and maintains Carla Zambelli’s mandate, contradicting STF

The Chamber of Deputies decided to maintain the mandate of Carla Zambelli (PL-SP) this Wednesday (10), by rejecting by 227 to 170 votes the impeachment of the parliamentarian, imprisoned in Italy since July. To confirm the loss of the mandate, 257 votes were needed. The decision reversed the STF’s conviction, which had ordered her to vacate her position after considering her involved in the invasion of the CNJ system with the help of hacker Walter Delgatti Neto.

The plenary vote contradicted the decision taken hours earlier by the CCJ, which had recommended the impeachment with the support of deputies from the center. In 2022, Zambelli was the most voted woman in the country for the Chamber, with more than 946 thousand votes.

During the session, allies argued that the impeachment would be excessive and would signal the Chamber’s submission to the Judiciary. Deputies also recalled that, according to the Constitution, it is up to Congress to decide on the loss of mandate in cases of criminal convictions.

Critics of the decision highlighted that Zambelli is prevented from exercising her mandate due to being detained abroad and should lose her position due to absences. The report approved by the CCJ reinforced this argument by stating that imprisonment in Italy makes parliamentary exercise unfeasible.

The turnaround occurred after the president of the Chamber, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), announced, the day before, the sudden inclusion of the case on the agenda, along with that of deputy Glauber Braga (PSOL-RJ), who also escaped impeachment. Motta also stated that the House will vote on the situations of Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) and Alexandre Ramagem (PL-RJ) this year.

Sentenced to 10 years in prison

Zambelli was sentenced in May to the loss of her mandate and ten years in prison. Motta had initially signaled that he would approve the Supreme Court’s decision, but retreated and sent the case to the CCJ after pressure from the PL.

The deputy fled the country after her conviction, passing through Argentina and the United States before being arrested in Italy at the end of July. According to the accusation, Delgatti issued a false arrest warrant against minister Alexandre de Moraes and had done so at the request of the parliamentarian. Zambelli denies having requested the action or participating in the preparation of the fraudulent document.