The 1st Panel of the STF began analyzing the receipt of the complaint against the pastor, who is responsible for slander and insult against General Tomás Ribeiro Paiva
Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), voted this Friday (March 6, 2026) to receive the complaint against the pastor. The PGR (Attorney General’s Office) accuses the pastor of criminal offenses of slander and insult against the Army commander, General Tomás Ribeiro Paiva.
The 1st Panel of the STF began this Friday (6th March), in the virtual plenary, the analysis of the receipt of the complaint against the pastor. The votes of ministers Flávio Dino, Cristiano Zanin and Cármen Lúcia are missing.
The complaint mentions that, on April 6, 2025, on Avenida Paulista, Malafaia made an offensive speech against the dignity and decorum of the generals who make up the Army’s high command, including the general commander. “Where are these four-star generals from the Army High Command? Bunch of weaklings, bunch of cowards.”
On the occasion, Malafaia declared that the military is a “bunch of omissions”. “You don’t honor the uniform you wear”these.
In his vote, Moraes recognized the STF’s competence to judge the case as he understands that it is connected with the modus operandi of the criminal organization investigated in the investigation of “digital militias”. According to the minister, the facts have the clear purpose of “attacks against democracy and the rule of law”.
“Thus, the connection between the conduct of Silas Lima Malafaia brought in this complaint and those investigated in the broader scope of the main procedure is evident”declared the minister.
Moraes believes that the distribution of the case for his reporting was correct, since he is also the rapporteur for the fake news and digital militia inquiries. On the merits, the minister stated that the complaint describes in detail the conduct and criminal offenses, such as attributing a false crime to the military, such as malfeasance.
In the previous defense, Malafaia claimed the STF’s incompetence to judge the case, since the person being investigated does not have a privileged forum before the Court. Furthermore, the defense claims that there is no public interest in the action being brought by the PGR and that, if the military were interested, the case should have been brought by them, as victims, in a private criminal action.
