The Federal Supreme Court (STF) closed the criminal complaint process, presented by former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro against federal deputy Erika Hilton (PSOL), for slander and defamation.
In December, the First Panel of the Court voted – unanimously – in favor of a report by Minister Luiz Fux, who considered it “unequivocal” that Erika Hilton is protected by parliamentary immunity.
The process then exhausted the possibility of appeals and was archived. It had been pending in Court since August, when Michelle filed a lawsuit against the deputy, alleging that she committed slander and defamation by criticizing, in a publication in in March of that year.
Hilton published: “you can’t even pay homage to Michelle Bolsonaro for never disappearing with another family’s dog because she literally did that.”
The deputy’s comment refers to an episode from 2020, when Michelle adopted a dog that, according to her, was found by an employee in the back of Palácio do Planalto. However, it was later discovered that the dog already had an owner, and he was returned.
In the process, Michelle’s defense says that Hilton used the case to “insinuate bad faith” in the conduct of the former first lady, who asked for compensation of R$15,000.
In a report, Luiz Fux states that the publication is “directly linked to the exercise of the parliamentary mandate”, which characterizes protection by parliamentary immunity.
Parliamentary immunity is a type of special right that deputies and senators have so that their mandate can be exercised freely and without political persecution. As a result, congressmen cannot be arrested or held responsible for their opinions, words and votes.
