The Rome Court of Appeal concluded this Thursday (12) the trial of the former deputy (PL-SP). Starting the day before, the closed-door hearing lasted almost seven hours in total. The court’s decision, the first on the case in , will be communicated to lawyers, possibly in about two weeks.
After the decision is published, the parties will have 15 days to appeal to the Court of Cassation, the last instance of the Italian Judiciary. If this happens, the expectation is that the first hearing will be scheduled within four to five months. After this phase, the final say will rest with the Italian government, through the Ministry of Justice.
Zambelli, who personally participated in the session, did not speak on those two days. According to Sheet found, led by brothers Angelo and Pieremilio Sammarco, focused the argument against extradition on the thesis of political persecution on the part of the minister of .
Prison conditions in Brazil were also highlighted by the defense as a risk factor for Zambelli. Moraes indicated that, if extradited, she will be detained in Colmeia, a medium security prison in the Federal District. The prison time in Italy, which already totals six months, will be deducted from the remainder to be served in Brazil.
In his speech, lawyer Alessandro Gentiloni, who represents Brazil through the (Advocacia Geral da União), stated that there are no legal reasons to deny extradition.
“The Brazilian processes were fair and equitable, the documents demonstrate that they have no defects, and the detention structures where Mrs. Zambelli must be placed are in perfect line with international standards,” he told Sheet. “There is no element that this is political persecution.”
The former deputy was sentenced to ten years in prison for invading the (National Council of Justice) system and issuing 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.
Zambelli fled Brazil in early June. At the time, she said that in the European country she would be “untouchable”, as she also had Italian citizenship. After two months on the run, she was arrested on the outskirts of Rome at the end of July.
In Wednesday’s session, the first to speak out was the Italian Public Prosecutor’s Office, which in October had already declared itself in favor of extradition. The Prosecutor’s Office argues that all legal requirements exist for Zambelli to be sent to Brazil.
The treaty on the subject signed by the two countries stipulates that only a convicted person can be extradited if they have had the minimum rights of defense guaranteed in their country of origin and in the absence of reasons to suppose that, after being extradited, they will be subjected to punishment or treatment that violates fundamental rights.
Second most voted federal deputy in the State of São Paulo in 2022, with 946 thousand votes, Zambelli is one of the main names in Bolsonarism. Since being arrested, she has received visits in prison from senators (PL-RJ), (Republicanos-DF), Eduardo Girão (Novo-CE) and Magno Malta (PL-ES).
After being spared from impeachment by the Chamber plenary, a decision that was later overturned by the STF, Zambelli resigned from office in December.
His case adds to other legal episodes between Brazil and Italy in recent decades, such as those of Henrique Pizzolato, former marketing director at Banco do Brasil, Salvatore Cacciola, former owner of the Marka bank, Cesare Battisti, an Italian terrorist who fled to Brazil, and the former player, convicted in Italy of gang rape.
