Brazil seeks extradition of congresswoman following 10-year jail sentence

São Paulo, Brazil – Authorities in Brazil are in search of the extradition of a federal lawmaker who fled to Italy. 

Carla Zambelli, a congresswoman and some of the vocal allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro, fled Brazil in late Might, days after being sentenced to 10 years and eight months in jail by the nation’s Supreme Federal Courtroom. She was convicted of hacking into the digital methods of Brazil’s Nationwide Justice Council between 2022 and 2023.

On Might 25, Zambelli crossed the border into Puerto Iguazú, Argentina, from the Brazilian metropolis of Foz do Iguaçu. From Argentina, she flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the place she gave interviews to Brazilian media shops, confirming her departure and claiming she was the sufferer of political persecution by the judiciary. She additionally said her intention to denounce overseas what she described as abuses dedicated towards her and Brazil’s political proper.

At one level, Zambelli stated she was contemplating in search of asylum with the Trump administration. However on June 5, she landed in Rome. A twin citizen of Italy, Zambelli instructed CNN Brasil that she felt “untouchable” in Italy when requested about the potential for extradition.

Now formally listed as a fugitive, Zambelli’s title has been added to Interpol’s pink discover record. On Friday, June 6, Brazil’s Supreme Courtroom rejected appeals filed by her authorized staff. 

The next day, Justice Alexandre de Moraes transformed a beforehand issued preventive arrest warrant right into a definitive jail order, mandating the instant execution of her sentence. He additionally instructed the Brazilian authorities to request her extradition from Italy. The conviction additional orders that Zambelli be stripped of her seat in Congress.

Beginning Monday, June 9, Brazil’s Supreme Courtroom begins questioning defendants in a separate prison case involving an alleged try to overthrow the federal government following the 2022 presidential election. Former President Bolsonaro is amongst these charged and is anticipated to testify on Tuesday.

Though Zambelli will not be implicated within the alleged coup plot—she was neither investigated nor charged—her escape has alarmed Bolsonaro’s allies.

Many worry that her transfer may lead the court docket to take a harder stance on different defendants concerned within the coup plot case. One measure reportedly into consideration is requiring these people to give up their passports because the proceedings transfer ahead, to forestall potential escapes.

Featured picture: Carla Zambelli throughout a session within the Chamber of Deputies in November 2024 (picture credit score: Mário Agra / through Câmara dos Deputados)