The minister of the (Superior Court of Justice) Marco Buzzi, the target of investigations, requested a 90-day leave of absence from the court for psychiatric treatment and medication adjustments.
The request was made through a report from a psychiatrist and presented to the court this Tuesday (10).
Despite what was measured, on Tuesday morning there was a closed meeting between the ministers, who administratively decided on a leave of absence until the conclusion of internal investigations related to the episodes under suspicion.
The request for medical leave was not analyzed by the ministers and has no relation to the meeting’s decision.
The vote took place secretly and, according to the STJ, it was unanimous among those present. At least 17 votes from the 33 ministers were needed for removal. There were 27 votes in this regard and, in addition to Buzzi himself, five other ministers were absent.
The meeting of ministers was called by the president of the court, Herman Benjamin, after a second complaint involving Buzzi was received by the (National Council of Justice) this Monday (9).
In another case, which came to light last week, an 18-year-old woman reported having been grabbed and touched by the minister, who is 68 years old, while swimming in the sea on a beach on the coast of Santa Catarina. She and her parents spent holidays at the magistrate’s beach house, in Balneário Camboriú.
In a demonstration this Monday, Buzzi stated that he will prove his innocence in the face of the allegations against him. The judge also said he was “very impacted” and had never adopted “conduct that would embarrass the family or tarnish the judiciary.”
The statement was made in a message sent by Buzzi in the STJ ministers’ WhatsApp group. It was his first statement to his colleagues since the first news about the allegations broke, on the 4th.
“Very impacted by the news broadcast and also by finding myself admitted to hospital, under cardiac and emotional monitoring, until now I have been silent. I informally learned of facts imputed against me, which I equally repudiate. Everything is causing hurt to the people in my family and coexistence”, he said.
He also stated that he is grateful to those who gave the benefit of the doubt “in the face of the premature disclosure of information.” “I trust that, through technical and impartial investigation, the facts will be fully clarified.”
Buzzi’s lawyers claim that the minister “did not commit any improper act, as will be possible to demonstrate in due course within the scope of the procedures already initiated”. The note says that the leak of information seeks to “embarrass due legal process and unduly influence future judicial decisions.”
“To date, the defense has not had access to the files, even though it has already submitted a request for authorization since last week. There is, therefore, no legal or factual basis that allows responsible statements about facts that are still undefined — much less anticipated public trials”, says the minister’s defense.
In relation to the Santa Catarina case, Buzzi is the target, in addition to disciplinary complaints at the CNJ, of a criminal investigation at the (Supreme Federal Court), which is being processed under the minister’s report.
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