A requested the opening of an investigation against the governor of Espírito Santo, Renato Casagrande (), to investigate his “exchange of potentially criminal favors” with federal judge Macário Júdice.
The request was made based on dialogues found on the magistrate’s cell phone, seized during meetings with the removed president of Alerj (Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro), Rodrigo Bacellar (União Brasil). The two were indicted by the PF.
In a statement, Casagrande stated that the conversation he had with the judge “was institutional and republican” and carried out via a messaging app as there was “nothing confidential or illicit”. THE Sheet sent a message to lawyer Fernando Fernandes, who represents Macário, but received no response.
The PF’s request is based on two dialogues.
In July 2024, Casagrande sends Macário, who is a judge of second instance at the TRF-2 (Federal Regional Court of the 2nd Region), a summary of an administrative improbity action against the mayor of Montanha (ES), André dos Santos Sampaio (PSB). The governor then asks whether the case’s rapporteur would accept a call or should he seek him out in person to ask for a speedy trial.
Macário responded by making himself available to talk to his colleague and asked for the case briefs to be sent, a type of summary made by the parties to the case to be presented at a hearing with magistrates. Days later, the judge says that the case’s rapporteur awaited contact.
In August, Macário got in touch again to say that “that matter had been resolved”. According to the PF, the rapporteur granted the request of the mayor, an ally of the governor.
The other exchange of messages refers to a request from Macário to speed up the release of a criminal police officer to his office. The PF states that a subsequent dialogue suggests that Casagrande conditioned compliance with another demand from the governor.
For the PF, the exchanges of messages “indicate an environment of reciprocity and the possible exchange of potentially criminal favors.”
Conversation was institutional and republican, says governor
Renato Casagrande stated, in a note, “that the conversation was institutional and republican and with the aim of speeding up the process to end a legal and political uncertainty in which the municipality found itself at that time in the pre-election period”.
According to the governor, “all conversations were carried out through a messaging application, as there is nothing confidential or illicit.”
A Sheet failed to make contact with Macário Júdice’s defense.
