The defense of the family accused of harassing Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), filed a request for retraction to end the process in the Court. The confusion occurred at Rome International Airport, Italy, in July 2023.
In July this year, the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) denounced Roberto Mantovani Filho, his wife, Andréia Munarão, and the couple’s son-in-law, Alex Zanatta, for slander and insult.
In the request, the defense informed the Court that the Mantovani family wishes to apologize to Moraes and his family members who were at the airport.
It will be up to Minister Dias Toffoli, rapporteur of the case, to decide whether or not to accept the request. Before that, Toffoli must forward the request for analysis by the PGR. There is no deadline for the rapporteur’s decision.
According to the Penal Code, the “defendant who, before the sentence, completely retracts the slander or defamation, is exempt from punishment”. Defendant is the person who is being accused in a legal case.
Lawyer Ralph Tórtima, responsible for the trio’s defense, told People’s Gazette which will “opportunely” comment on the petition.
Confusion in Rome
In July last year, Moraes reported that he had been called a “bandit”, “communist” and “bought” by the three Brazilians while at the airport in Italy. According to the representation sent by the minister to the PF, his son, Alexandre Barci de Moraes, was allegedly slapped by the businessman.
In February, PF delegate Hiroshi de Araújo Sakaki concluded the investigation without indicting anyone. However, Toffoli responded to a request from the PGR and ordered the PF to further investigate.
As a result, the case was redistributed to delegate Thiago Severo de Rezende, who changed his understanding and indicted the family for an alleged crime of slander, with the aggravating factor of having been committed against a public official for his actions.
Investigators analyzed images from the airport, but highlighted that the videos had no sound and, therefore, it was not possible to determine whether the others involved committed crimes. The slap given to the minister’s son would have been clearly captured in the images.
In July, the Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet, denounced the three and highlighted that “there is no doubt” that Moraes was harassed because of his position. Gonet stated that “the false attribution of criminal conduct to the minister was carried out by the accused in a public and vexatious manner” with “the clear objective of embarrassing and provoking a dramatic reaction”.
After the PGR’s opinion, the family’s defense criticized the handling of the case and highlighted that the complaint was already expected given an investigation “marked by abusive and repeated illegalities”. Throughout the process, the trio’s lawyers requested access to the security video that recorded the episode.
In August, lawyer Ralph Tórtima stated that the Federal Police omitted scenes in which the minister’s son attacks businessman Roberto Mantovani with a “slap on the back of the head”. The statement came after an expert report based on images captured on the airport’s video circuit.
