Minister Cristiano Zanin, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), denied this Monday (10) the request from the defense of fitness influencer Renato Cariani to suspend the processing of the criminal action for drug trafficking, association for trafficking and money laundering in the São Paulo Courts.
The defense claimed that, as it was conducted by the Federal Police (PF), the investigation should be carried out in the Federal Court, and not in the state court. Zanin, however, stated that the PF’s participation does not automatically define federal competence, a position that follows the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence.
“The crimes alleged in the complaint are, primarily, the responsibility of the State Court. Any modification of the legal capitulation of the facts may be assessed in due course by the processing court”, wrote the minister when denying the habeas corpus.
Continues after advertising
Defendant in São Paulo Court
With the decision, the case against Cariani continues in progress in the State Court of São Paulo, which had already accepted the complaint from the Public Ministry.
The accusations are based on the investigations of Operation Hinsberg, launched by the Federal Police in December 2023, which revealed the involvement of the company Anidrol Produtos para Laboratórios, of which Cariani is a partner, in a scheme to supply chemical inputs to drug trafficking.
According to the State Public Ministry, the company had used false invoices to hide the diversion of products and launder the money obtained from illegal transactions.
Cariani denies the accusations and states that his role at Anidrol is exclusively business.
