Senate president criticizes impeachment petitions and declines to comment on Alexandre de Moraes

Brazil’s Senate president, Davi Alcolumbre, complained about the volume of impeachment petitions against Supreme Federal Court ministers, then refused to offer an opinion on the growing controversy surrounding Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

“There is nothing normal about 109 requests from Congress against the Supreme Court’s 10 ministers,” Alcolumbre said as he left the Senate on Tuesday night. Asked about the case involving Moraes, he replied: “I have no opinion. I am not supposed to have one.”

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There is nothing normal about 109 requests from Congress against the Supreme Court’s 10 ministers.

The controversy intensified after reports that Moraes edited the latest version of a 131 million reais legal-services contract between the law firm of his wife, lawyer Viviane Barci de Moraes, and Banco Master owner Daniel Vorcaro. Messages extracted by Brazil’s Federal Police also reportedly suggest that Moraes met Vorcaro one day before the banker’s arrest.

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I have no opinion. I am not supposed to have one.

The allegations prompted the opposition to announce a new impeachment request against Moraes and increased pressure on Alcolumbre. The Senate has responsibility for judging Supreme Court ministers, but the president of the chamber alone decides whether such petitions move forward.

Earlier, when Estadão asked whether he would advance any of the requests or considered the disclosed messages serious, Alcolumbre avoided discussing Moraes. He was walking with government leader Randolfe Rodrigues to a meeting on a bill ending the so-called “little blouses” import tax and said he would focus on that measure. Rodrigues added: “Let’s take care of the little blouse measure.”

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Let’s take care of the little blouse measure.