The Federal Supreme Court (STF) ultimately determined the eviction of an extensive rural area in the municipality of Santa Terezinha, in Mato Grosso, illegally occupied by 78 medium and large businesspeople.
Since 1999, these businessmen had “irregularly occupied the property of 36,444.89 hectares, belonging to Agropecuária Santo Estevão”, which since 2000 had been requesting the resumption of legitimate possession in court. The property belongs to senator Luiz Estevão, who has been convicted of more than 36 years in prison for corruption.
After a long legal dispute, in 2016 the Court granted the removal of the invaders. This decision was confirmed in 2018 by the Court of Justice of Mato Grosso (TJMT) and, later, by the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), under the report of Minister Herman Benjamin.
The decision was consolidated on November 4th of this year by the Federal Supreme Court (STF), which maintained the eviction order and guaranteed the return of the property to Agropecuária Santo Estevão. Minister Dias Toffoli decided to maintain the repossession.
A delicate point in the matter was the situation of the residents of Vila da Torre, a small village formed in the occupied area. In consideration of the local community, the STF ensured the permanence of the village and the improvements. In an act of good faith, the owners of Agropecuária Santo Estevão donated, in March 2023, an area of 53 hectares to the City of Santa Terezinha, covering the 27 hectares already occupied by the village, its houses, church, health center, school and other public structures, with additional space for future expansions.
The STF’s decision favors Luiz Estevão, former senator of the Republic, sentenced to 26 years in prison for misappropriation of public resources in the construction of the Regional Labor Court (TRT) in São Paulo, in the early 19190s. In the year 2023 , the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) resumed the execution of the debt of almost R$1 billion against the OK Construções group, owned by Luiz Estevão.
This decision marks the end of a legal dispute lasting more than two decades and reinforces the protection of property rights and the fight against illegal occupations in rural areas, bringing an outcome that considers both the recovery of land for its legitimate owners and the preservation of established community.
