By 5 votes to 2, the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) rejected this Tuesday (2) the appeals presented by the former governor of () and maintained his ineligibility until 2030.
The rapporteur, Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva, voted to reject the appeals. He was accompanied by ministers André Mendonça, Antonio Carlos Ferreira, Dias Toffoli and Kassio Nunes Marques. The ministers also denied the embargoes of Rodrigo Bacellar, former president of Alerj (Rio’s Legislative Assembly).
Castro appealed the decision that made him ineligible in March. He was convicted of abuse of political and economic power due to a secret positions scheme. Reports published by UOL in 2022 showed that thousands of people were hired at Ceperj (State Center for Statistics, Research and Training of Public Servants of Rio de Janeiro) and at Uerj (Rio State University) without transparency.
Employees withdrew money from the “cash counter”. The investigation revealed that those hired in secret positions at Ceperj withdrew at least R$248.4 million in cash between September 2021 and July 2022.
The rapporteur also rejected an appeal from the Public Ministry. The body asked the TSE to recognize the revocation of Castro’s diploma. The rapporteur, however, considered the discussion to be hampered, as the former governor resigned from office the day before the trial. Ministers Floriano Marques de Azevedo and Estela Aranha disagreed and understood that the TSE should accept the MP’s appeal, but their vote was defeated.
The MP argues that the revocation of the diploma is different from the revocation of the mandate. The diploma is the document that certifies that the candidate was elected and is able to take office. According to the Electoral Code, if the diploma is revoked more than six months before the end of the term, the election for the buffer term must be direct.
With the conclusion of the trial at the TSE, the STF must resume the judgment on the elections in RJ. The Supreme Court will define whether the state will choose the new governor through direct or indirect elections. Meanwhile, the president of TJ-RJ, judge Ricardo Couto, governs RJ on an interim basis.
