STF Minister Zanin Archives Inquiry Into STJ Minister Og Fernandes

Supreme Court (STF) Minister Cristiano Zanin archived an inquiry on Friday, May 31, involving Superior Court of Justice (STJ) Minister Og Fernandes. The investigation focused on suspicions that Fernandes was involved in the sale and leaking of judicial decisions. Zanin granted the request for archiving made by the Prosecutor General's Office (PGR), which concluded that there were no minimum indices of a crime to justify continuing the investigation.

The inquiry originated from Operation Sisamnes, a Federal Police investigation into a scheme involving the negotiation of judicial decisions between businessmen, lawyers, and magistrates. Suspicions against Fernandes arose from data on the phone of lawyer Roberto Zampieri, who died in 2023. The material suggested that Rodrigo Falcão, the former chief of staff for Minister Fernandes, may have acted as an intermediary between private interests and judicial rulings.

According to the PGR, investigators analyzed bank and tax data, seized documents, and financial flows. The PGR stated that the evidence did not link the identified operations to any judicial act performed by Fernandes. Specifically, the PGR noted that Fernandes' decisions were based on technical criteria and were contrary to the interests of the business group in question. One report noted that the PGR found Fernandes had transferred money to a businessman rather than receiving it, which contradicted the initial hypothesis of bribery.

While center leaning reports focused on the procedural nature of the archiving and the lack of evidence, a center right report provided more specific detail regarding the financial transactions and the specific business group involved. The investigation into Rodrigo Falcão also included a separate line of inquiry regarding the leaking of information from Operation Faroeste, though the police later concluded a suspected document was fake.