Lawyers cited as interlocutors or operators have acted in more than 200 cases that have reached the (Superior Court of Justice) in recent years.
So far, there is no evidence of irregularities in the judgments of these cases at the STJ, but the court states that it has collected the information and carried out internal investigations.
These lawyers are mentioned in a report by the (National Council of Justice) that led to the dismissal of two judges from Mato Grosso in August or in an investigation that led to the dismissal of five judges from Mato Grosso do Sul on October 24th.
In recent weeks, investigations have also highlighted suspicions about the sale of decisions in the STJ’s own offices and were sent to the (Federal Supreme Court), where they are being processed under secrecy. The rapporteur is the minister.
One of those cited by the CNJ is Rodrigo Vechiato da Silveira, who until 2019 advised judge Sebastião de Moraes Filho, from Mato Grosso.
The council states that, after leaving Sebastião’s office, Vechiato acted as the magistrate’s interlocutor, “intermediating apparently illicit deals between [o advogado] Roberto Zampieri and the judge’s office in question”.
Sebastião was removed in August on suspicion of having received money and gold bars from Zampieri, who was murdered at the end of 2023.
From the time he left Sebastião’s office in 2019, Vechiato also became the representative of at least 27 cases in the region that reached the STJ – 6 of which are still in progress.
Another lawyer involved in suspicions is Felix Jayme Nunes da Cunha, one of the main targets of the investigations into Mato Grosso do Sul, which also deals with suspected decision-selling schemes.
In messages obtained by the Federal Police, Jayme spoke about an auction to obtain a favorable vote at the MS Court of Justice, cited values that should be passed on to magistrates and tried to convince clients to join the scheme, saying it was cheap.
Jayme has around 200 cases as a lawyer at the STJ. One of these cases, which reached the higher court through three appeals, is being investigated on suspicion of payments to TJ-MS judges.
This process involves the dispute over a rural property called Fazenda Paulicéia, located in Maracaju (MS).
The PF found evidence that there was a purchase of decisions by an agricultural company in a process related to relatives of a counselor at the State Court of Auditors.
The case involves expulsion of the land owner, falsification of documents and also extortion.
“There is abundant and vehement evidence of the actions of those investigated, together with lawyer Felix Jayme Nunes da Cunha, in negotiating to obtain a judicial decision favorable to their interests”, says the decision by STJ minister Francisco Falcão who authorized the operation.
At the STJ, the party opposing Jayme’s clients tried to suspend decisions taken at the Court of Justice of Mato Grosso do Sul in three actions, which were reported by Minister Nancy Andrighi. She denied the appeals in 2022, and the lawsuits were dismissed.
In addition to these cases, there are also at least four represented by lawyer Rodrigo Gonçalves Pimentel, the son of retired judge Sideni Pimentel.
Rodrigo Pimentel is suspected of involvement in decisions involving different magistrates of the Mato Grosso do Sul court.
When contacted, minister Nancy Andrighi stated in a note to Sheet that the appeals cited in the report “were decided in accordance with the jurisprudence of the Superior Court of Justice, decisions against which no appeal was filed by the parties”.
“I emphasize that I have already made my office available to contribute to the elucidation of the facts reported by the press and I trust in the investigation carried out by the Superior Court of Justice and other institutions, so that anyone involved is punished in an exemplary manner.”
The STJ was asked if it had data on the processes in which those under investigation were involved and reported that “surveys are being carried out and investigations are ongoing”.
In a statement, Rodrigo Vechiato da Silveira’s defense states that he does not and has never acted at the STJ in cases that have any relationship with lawyer Zampieri and judge Sebastião.
“Regarding the facts, he clarifies that he became aware exclusively through the media and materials published in the press, and that until now he has not had formal access to the aforementioned records. Therefore, he does not yet have detailed information that would allow him to make a complete assessment of the matters ventilated”, says the note.
“Nevertheless, in a collaborative stance, he always made himself available to the control bodies to provide any clarifications that may be necessary.”
“Finally, it reaffirms that, as soon as it has full access to the aforementioned procedures, it will speak out with complete clarity and transparency about all the conclusions unduly aired in the media”, says a note signed by lawyers Léo Catalá and Valber Melo.
The report was unable to locate Felix Jayme and Rodrigo Gonçalves Pimentel or their defenses.
