Minister André Mendonça, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), determined that the president of the Senate and Congress, Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), proceed with the request for extension of the INSS CPMI.
The decision imposes a 48-hour deadline for reading the request, a necessary step to formalize the extension of the commission’s work.
“That the Board of Directors and the Presidency of the National Congress, authorities appointed as enforcers, adopt all necessary measures to, within 48 hours, receive, via the internal system, the request and promote, within the same 48-hour period, the reading of that same request that aims to extend the duration of the INSS CPMI, in accordance with its own terms”, says the decision.
The STF’s intervention comes after parliamentarians appealed to the Court due to the lack of deliberation in Congress. The extension request has the support of 175 deputies and 29 senators, a higher number than required, but had not been discussed until now.
In the decision, Mendonça indicated that the extension must respect the time considered necessary by the collegiate itself, which could make room for up to 120 additional days of operation. The CPMI was installed in August and its original closing date is scheduled for Sunday (28).
Members of the commission argued to the Supreme Court that there was a “deliberate omission” by the Board of Directors in not moving forward with the request. The assessment within the CPMI is that the request meets the constitutional and regulatory criteria for extension.
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Schedule must be reviewed
Before the decision, the commission worked with the presentation of the final report on Wednesday (25) and voting on the following day, in a concentrated model. The strategy called for block voting, given the risk of closure without completing the work.
With the possibility of extension, the schedule must be reevaluated. The change tends to expand the space for in-depth investigations and eventual review of the report.
The STF’s decision also increases the pressure on Alcolumbre, responsible for formalizing the progress of the request. Last week, the senator stated that there was no forecast for convening a Congress session, which was holding up the process.
Impact on government
The extension of the CPMI tends to prolong the political wear and tear on the federal government. The commission investigates a fraud scheme involving INSS benefits and analyzes an extensive list of possible indictments, including the president’s son, Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, known as Lulinha.
With more operating time, new investigations and testimonies can be incorporated, which increases the potential for political repercussion of the case in the coming weeks.
