The minister of the (Supreme Federal Court) stated on Monday night (6) that being a judge demands a greater degree of prudence and that it is not possible to privilege friends in this role.
The statement was made during a tribute received at Alesp (Legislative Assembly of ), in the capital of São Paulo. Although he did not mention any of his colleagues, Mendonça adopted a similar tone to that of the president of the court, Edson Fachin, who has defended the creation of one for magistrates.
“A presence at a certain moment with a certain person can generate misunderstanding in society. We are not immune to misunderstandings, but we need to be immune to actions that substantially, voluntarily and consciously compromise the credibility that society expects from a good judge. This requires modesty from us, in the good sense of the expression”, declared Mendonça.
Rapporteur of the STF case, Mendonça has two court colleagues who have suffered wear and tear due to their connections with: the ministers. In addition to both having flown on planes from companies linked to Vorcaro, Moraes’ wife’s office provided services to Master, and Toffoli was a partner in a fund linked to Vorcaro’s operator.
Toffoli, in fact, was the case’s rapporteur until February of this year and had been criticized for decisions such as the one .
“Impartiality means looking at people equally, considering interests involved equally, not privileging friends, not persecuting enemies. This is a commitment I make in the house of the people of São Paulo: seeking to be impartial”, said Mendonça during the tribute.
Throughout the event, the judge greeted the presence of the Union’s attorney general, Jorge Messias, who represented President Lula (PT) last week. Mendonça for approval in the Senate of Messias, an evangelical like him.
“Our careers at AGU were great turning points for our corresponding trajectories and I hope that you will soon leave AGU to be with me at the Federal Supreme Court.”
MESSAGES TO THE STF
The governor (Republicans) and the mayor of São Paulo, (), gave hints about the actions of STF ministers by praising Mendonça, who was nominated to the court by former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), an ally of the two politicians.
Tarcísio declared that Mendonça “sometimes represents hope in the desert” and that he understood like no one else how to act impartially. “This is so important for our country, for the production of legal security, so much talked about and so necessary. Always acting with discretion, but firmly, acting within the strict limits of the law, always trying to exercise your role wisely”, he said.
Nunes said that the minister is the rapporteur of “the most complex cases in the country”, citing Banco Master and the fraud of , and added that the processes are in good hands.
“They are in the hands of someone who we are sure will do justice. There will be no persecution, there will be no decision outside the Constitution. There will certainly be rigor and there will be justice”, declared Nunes, in a more direct jab at Moraes, whom Bolsonaro’s allies accuse of persecuting the former president.
Several Bolsonaro supporters participated in the event, such as federal deputy Rosana Valle (PL-SP) and state deputies Lucas Bove (PL), Gil Diniz (PL) and Tomé Abduch (Republicans). The national president of PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, was at the Assembly to congratulate Mendonça, but did not stay to participate in the tribute.
However, a PT state deputy, Emídio de Souza, who is close to Lula and will be the coordinator of Fernando Haddad’s (PT) government plan for the Government of São Paulo, also participated in the tribute.
Mendonça received the Collar of Honor for Legislative Merit, Alesp’s highest honor and which is awarded to personalities who contributed to the development of the state. The tribute was proposed by state deputy Oseias de Madureira (PL) and included, in addition to the speeches, presentations by the praise group of the Assembly of God Brás de São Bernardo do Campo.
