The decision on the decision of the former deputy (PL-SP) from Italy to Brazil was postponed again after a hearing held this Tuesday (20) in .
After requests presented by the defense, the judges of the Court of Appeal suspended the session and will set a new date to decide on the request presented by the Brazilian Court for the former congresswoman to be sent to Brazil.
According to the SheetZambelli’s lawyers made a series of requests to the three judges, such as including a witness in the process, and more information about prison conditions in Brazil. They also announced their intention to ask that the judges be replaced by others from the same court, which must be done in writing in the coming days.
The judges had to dedicate time to evaluate these requests and, at around 6 pm (2 pm in Brazil), they decided to postpone the session, which had started about two hours late.
A new hearing will be announced, possibly this Wednesday (21), in 10 to 15 days. It will be an extraordinary session, in which only Zambelli’s case will be analyzed, without other processes beforehand, to avoid further delays.
Zambelli personally participated in the hearing and it was she who announced her intention to request that her case have new judges. She has been detained since the end of July in , in the Italian capital, after being on the run for two months. The former deputy says she is a victim of political persecution by the (Supreme Federal Court).
If extradited to Brazil, the time spent in Italy will be deducted from the remaining sentence that must be served. In December, the STF minister indicated that Zambelli should serve her sentence in the Federal District Women’s Penitentiary, known as Colmeia, which has medium security.
The Rome Court of Appeal acts as the first instance in this case. After the court’s decision, the parties can appeal. The expectation is that the entire extradition process will be completed in the first half of this year.
This Tuesday’s trial took place after three postponements since the end of November. Shortly before Christmas, the Court of Appeal granted the defense’s request for more time to analyze documentation sent by Brazil about prison conditions. Previously, the defense had joined a lawyers’ strike and, on another occasion, the court asked for time to analyze new documents presented by Zambelli’s lawyers.
After being spared from impeachment by the Chamber plenary, a decision that was later overturned by the STF, Zambelli resigned from office in December.
She fled the country in June to escape a ten-year prison sentence for the invasion of the CNJ (National Council of Justice) system and the issuing of a false arrest warrant against Moraes. When she was already in Italy, she was sentenced to another five years for illegal possession of a firearm and illegal restraint. The two cases make up a single extradition process.
Before arriving in Italy, after passing through Argentina and , Zambelli, who has dual citizenship, said that the Italian passport would make her “untouchable” and prevent her from being sent back to the country.
