The Superior Electoral Court decided, this Thursday (12), unanimously to archive the action that requests the revocation of the mandate of senator Jorge Seif (PL-SC). The parliamentarian was accused of having committed abuse of economic power to be elected in the 2022 electoral dispute.
In the decision, the TSE ministers considered that there is not sufficient or conclusive evidence that the senator illegally benefited from business resources from Havan during the electoral campaign.
According to parties, Seif obtained an economic advantage for his campaign for the Senate in 2022 with the support of businesspeople, mainly Luciano Hang, and a state union, without declaring the benefits to the TSE.
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The case was filed by the PSD, Patriota and União Brasil coalition against the decision of the Regional Electoral Court of Santa Catarina (TRE-SC), which rejected the revocation of the mandate and archived the case in 2023.
Among the accusations of abuse are the use of Havan’s material and personnel structure — specifically the company’s official channels for broadcasting campaigns, a live recording room and videos for social networks, in addition to the use of employees for electoral promotion.
Jorge Seif would also have benefited from the network structure in the state by using the company’s aircraft. A complementary investigation confirmed that the then Senate candidate used aerial vehicles during the election period.
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Rapporteur of the action at the Court, Minister Floriano de Azevedo Marques stated that public support from a person linked to a business group is not enough to prove improper use of resources.
Minister Cármen Lúcia accompanied the rapporteur in parts, claiming that there is not sufficient evidence that the trips are linked to Hang or that there was undue favoritism of the candidate by the Havan structure. “There is proof of facts, with evidentiary evidence. What there is is no complete proof that could lead to the revocation of the mandate”, he explained.
In a statement, Jorge Seif highlighted that the day is one of “deep gratitude”. “Today, the Superior Electoral Court confirms what Santa Catarina had already unanimously recognized in the TRE: there was no irregularity, there was no crime. There was a legitimate election, the result of the free and sovereign vote of the people of Santa Catarina”, he concluded.
