Carla Zambelli’s defense appeals against the Italian court’s approval of the deputy’s extradition to Brazil

Italian court decides to extradite Carla Zambelli The defense of former deputy Carla Zambelli appealed this Friday (10) to the decision of the Italian court that approved Zambelli’s extradition request to Brazil. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp ➡️ A decision by the Italian Court of Appeals at the end of March accepted the Federal Supreme Court’s (STF) request for Zambelli to be extradited to Brazil. His lawyers said they will appeal, and the Italian Ministry of Justice will give final approval to the eventual extradition. One of Carla Zambelli’s Italian lawyers, Pieremilio Sammarco, told TV Globo this Friday that the defense filed an appeal at the Court of Cassation in Rome. Sammarco stated that he will try to reverse the sentence that authorized Zambelli’s extradition to Brazil. The Court of Cassation is the last instance of Italian justice. After the decision of this instance, it is still necessary for the Italian Minister of Justice to give approval for a possible extradition. The case taking place in the court in Rome is judging a request from the STF for Zambelli, arrested following a request from Interpol in the European country, to be returned to Brazilian justice. Citizenship The Italian Court stated in a decision this Thursday (26) that Carla Zambelli’s Italian citizenship, one of the arguments used by the defense to try to prevent her from being sent to Brazil, does not prevent her extradition. The court stated that the former deputy’s citizenship has a “merely formal status” and added that she does not have “effective social, territorial or cultural roots in Italy.” The decision also highlights that Zambelli obtained citizenship by blood right, but that his professional and political life was built entirely in Brazil. The fact that the former deputy has dual citizenship, says the sentence, not only prevents extradition but also encourages it, since Brazilian citizenship “strengthens the legal bond” with Brazil. “The fact that the extradited person has dual citizenship, Italian and Brazilian, has no impediment and, on the contrary, strengthens the legal bond between the person and the requesting State…”, says the sentence. Italian citizenship was one of the main axes of the defense’s argument to prevent Zambelli — imprisoned in Italy — from being extradited to Brazil. According to this Thursday’s decision in full, the defense argues that, as Brazil prohibits the extradition of Brazilians and applies the principle of reciprocity, Italy should do the same and, therefore, deny the STF’s request. The lawyers also stated that, otherwise, Italy would not be applying the principle of “parity cooperation” with Brazil. Last year, when leaving Brazil, the former congresswoman said that she would be safe in Europe because she had Italian citizenship. However, the court explained that the Italian Constitution does not absolutely prohibit the extradition of citizens, but subordinates it to international agreements. In this case, the Bilateral Treaty between Italy and Brazil (1989) explicitly allows extradition. 👉 Brazil and Italy have a reciprocal extradition treaty, in force since 1993 – and which has been activated dozens of times since then. The first article of the treaty even determines that Brazil and Italy are obliged to hand over to each other people who are wanted by the other country – whether to be brought to trial or to serve a sentence restricting their freedom. 👉 In December, the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (STF) ordered the revocation of Zambelli’s mandate, revoking a contrary decision by the Chamber of Deputies. She delivered a letter of resignation to the House three days later. Zambelli was sentenced by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to 10 years in prison for breaking into the systems of the National Justice Council (CNJ), and fled to Italy after the decision. She is considered a fugitive from Brazilian justice. Find out more about the prison where Zambelli is held Former deputy Carla Zambelli (PL-SP), in a file photo. NINO CIRENZA/ATO PRESS/ESTADÃO CONTENT ➡️ Former federal deputy Carla Zambelli has been imprisoned in Italy since July 29, 2025. She is in a prison on the outskirts of Rome that houses women in medium and high security regimes and is divided into eight sections. The prison unit in Italy where Zambelli is housed suffers from a serious overcrowding problem. Despite having the capacity to receive only 272 women, 371 are currently imprisoned there. Another problem is the shortage of employees. According to the Italian Ministry of Justice website, as of June this year, 181 prison guards were working there, while 214 would be required. The number of administration members is also lower than expected, as is the number of educators. Structure and history The penitentiary is located in the Rebibbia neighborhood of Rome. It was built in the 1950s to originally house juvenile inmates. It was then managed by Vincentian nuns until the prison directors took control in 1979. The structure is made up of two large wings and four smaller ones, as well as green spaces for the inmates’ internal use and a large farm where some of them work. The largest wing, called “Camerotti”, houses women detained under the general regime – that is, who are still awaiting trial -, in the case of Zambelli. Each floor has 12 cells with four beds (two bunk beds) and a separate bathroom (with bidet). Hot water showers are shared on each of the three floors. There are 156 working cells in total and 94 bathrooms, as well as 2 sports fields, a theater, six classrooms, a daycare center and a library. The unit has a doctor on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Psychiatrists provide 25 hours of care per week. Visits and communication To receive visits, prisoners must request authorization from the prison director and they can only occur when there are “reasonable reasons”. In the case of inmates still awaiting trial, a court order must be presented. The inmates’ lawyers must schedule meetings on site – there is no telephone option – and visits are only allowed in the morning, from 8:30 am to 2 pm. To make phone calls, inmates need to purchase a card provided by the Command Center. Prisoners can receive four packages per month, weighing a maximum of 20 kilos, containing clothes and food. However, there are several item restrictions. Garments sent, for example, cannot have padding, shoulder pads, hoods, padded buttons or rhinestones and embellishments. Delays in the process See the videos that are trending on g1 Zambelli’s extradition process faced delays for various reasons and has already had four hearings postponed. In the first of them, at the end of November, Zambelli’s defense joined a lawyers’ strike in Rome, and in the second, the following month, his lawyers presented new documents to the court. The former deputy, who has Italian citizenship, left Brazil in May. She also spent time in the United States before moving to Italy. After her arrest, Zambelli said she wanted to be tried in the European country and that she would prove that she had no involvement in the invasion of the CNJ system. The Italian court decided to keep her in prison during the trial, as it understood that there was a risk of escape. Colmeia Licensed deputy Carla Zambelli arrives for a hearing at the Court of Appeals in Rome, on August 27, 2025. TV Globo Brazilian documentation informs that, if extradited, the former deputy will be imprisoned in the Federal District Women’s Penitentiary, known as Colmeia, and gives details about the conditions of detention. During the first hearing, on December 4, Zambelli’s defense presented several arguments so that she should not be extradited. One of them is about the prison situation for the eventual serving of the sentence in Brazil. 👉It was then that the Italian court suspended the trial to wait for answers about Brazilian penitentiary conditions. Moraes responded with an 11-page document, with information and images, explaining where the Colmeia inmates are housed. It was also reported that there has never been a rebellion in this prison, that prisoners take technical courses and receive medical care, respecting standards of health, safety and assistance. Furthermore, the choice of this penitentiary was as determined by the Criminal Executions Court of the Federal District, the condemned woman’s place of residence.

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