The São Paulo Court of Justice ordered on Monday (1st) the open arrest of the former deputy (PL-SP) for not paying compensation. He was convicted of defamation due to criticisms he published after being published by the then parliamentarian on the eve of the 2022 elections.
The decision was taken by judge José Fernando Steinberg after the journalist failed to pay amounts fixed in a conviction for defamation. The total amounted to around R$2,200, including fines and compensation. The judge converted the sentence restricting rights into deprivation of liberty.
Zambelli had opened a criminal complaint against Araújo due to an article he published after the armed chase episode. In the text, the journalist wrote that the then deputy “follows a sect of extreme right-wing patients” and that “she continues to commit atrocities after atrocities”.
The defense claims that the journalist does not have the financial capacity to pay and, therefore, submitted a request for the debt to be paid in installments. The request was rejected. Lawyer José Luiz de Oliveira Júnior appealed the decision and has already filed a request for habeas corpus.
The conditions of the sentence are yet to be defined. In the open regime, the convict is not detained and can remain at home, move around and work. However, you must comply with rules imposed by the judge, such as keeping your address up to date, not leaving the city without authorization and periodically appearing in court.
“He was not notified of the conditions. So, they do not exist. He needs to be notified, to speak out, which did not happen,” said the lawyer.
In a post on Instagram, Araújo asked for support to sue Zambelli. He stated that he had lost professional opportunities, relationships and “sanity” due to the episode.
“Despite her conviction in , she will not need to serve time there in Europe, . In the meantime, I am having to fundraise to be able to file a lawsuit for moral damages against her,” he wrote.
The former deputy, who was imprisoned in Italy, left prison at the end of May following a decision by the country’s Court of Appeal.
She was arrested due to a conviction for invading the (National Council of Justice) system and issuing a false arrest warrant against Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF.
