The Italian court for the former deputy () this Thursday (26) so that she serves a prison sentence in Brazil, in response to the request of the Brazilian judiciary.
The judges rejected the former parliamentarian’s defense arguments against extradition. In an excerpt from the document, the judges claim that “the defense’s objections regarding the guarantees of a fair trial [pelo ] are unfounded.”
Zambelli’s defense argued against extradition with the thesis of political persecution by the minister, the STF (Supreme Federal Court) — without success, until this stage.
Understand the Italian court’s decision and what the next steps in the case will be.
Why did Zambelli flee to Italy?
In May 2025, the former PL parliamentarian was sentenced by the Brazilian Supreme Court to ten years in prison for invading the CNJ (National Council of Justice) system and issuing a false arrest warrant against minister Alexandre de Moraes.
Zambelli fled Brazil in early June of the same year. Because she has dual citizenship, she even stated that she would be “untouchable” in the European country. The matter was reported about a month and a half ago, but it did not prevent the extradition sentence, announced this Thursday.
What were the defense’s arguments?
The former deputy’s defense stated that Zambelli’s process in Brazil had “anomalies”, such as the fact that “the victim of the alleged crime was the same person who made the sentence, who decided to execute the sentence and who decided the appeal”, in reference to Moraes.
Prison conditions in Brazil were also highlighted by the defense as a risk factor for Zambelli. If extradited, she will be detained in Colmeia, a medium security prison in the Federal District, as determined by the minister.
What did the Italian judges claim?
The Court of Appeal’s decision says that Brazil’s request meets the admissibility conditions established in the treaty between the two countries on the subject and in the provisions of the Italian code of criminal procedure.
The reporting judge also rules out the hypothesis of Moraes’ bias: “It is not supported by sufficient objective and verifiable elements.”
Zambelli’s dual citizenship was also assessed by the court, but was also not considered an obstacle to extradition. Italy, unlike Brazil, allows the extradition of its own citizens.
What were the STF’s actions?
Shortly after Zambelli’s escape, Moraes asked for the former deputy to be included on Interpol’s red list, so that she could be arrested in other countries. On the run for two months, in July last year.
In Italy, the court sentenced her to another five years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm and illegal embarrassment for having drawn and pointed a gun at a man in São Paulo on the eve of the second round of the 2022 elections.
What will the next steps be like?
Zambelli’s defense has 15 days to appeal and take the action to the last instance of Italian justice — the Court of Cassation. If the appeal is filed, the Judiciary will have until June to decide whether or not to maintain the extradition.
Then, the Italian Ministry of Justice will have another 45 days to deliver its verdict. If the minister maintains his understanding, she will be sent to Brazil in around 20 days. The former deputy’s return to Brazil, therefore, could take almost five months.
Where is she now?
During the processing of the appeal, Zambelli will remain imprisoned in the Rebibbia complex, in Rome. The almost eight months of imprisonment in Italy, so far, will be deducted from the remainder of the sentence to be served by the former deputy in Brazil.
Zambelli was the second most voted federal deputy in the state of São Paulo, in 2022, with 946 thousand votes and became one of the main names in Bolsonarism.
