The Rome Court of Appeal suspended the trial of the extradition process of former federal deputy Carla Zambelli, requested by Federal Supreme Court (STF) minister Alexandre de Moraes. This Wednesday’s session (11) lasted five hours and should resume this Thursday (12). According to the defense, not all issues relevant to the analysis of the case have yet been discussed.
The case was due to go to trial on January 20, but was suspended after Zambelli requested a change of judges, alleging bias. This Tuesday, the request was denied, but the defense intends to appeal to the Court of Cassation.
The defense also explains that delay is common in processes like this, since all parties must be heard and all arguments must be analyzed. Another relevant factor is the language barrier: the former deputy has the help of a Brazilian translator who has lived in the European country for around 30 years.
In Brazil, Zambelli was sentenced to ten years in prison for allegedly paying hacker Walter Delgatti Neto to invade the systems of the National Justice Council (CNJ), when a false arrest warrant was issued for Moraes against himself.
After the conviction, the former deputy went to Italy, the country where she has citizenship. Upon being included on the Interpol list, she was tracked down by Italian authorities and arrested. Now, the Court decides whether Brazil has the necessary conditions to keep Zambelli in prison while guaranteeing respect for her fundamental rights. If extradition occurs, she must be detained at the Federal District Women’s Penitentiary, known as Colmeia.
