Electoral Court seizes campaign material in Sérgio Moro's apartment

The Electoral Court of Paraná (TRE-PR) ordered the search and seizure of irregular material at the residence of former judge Sérgio Moro, current candidate for the Senate (União Brasil) and former Minister of Justice. Moro - who became famous for operations against politicians in Lava Jato - declared his private property as an electoral committee. In the order, assistant judge Melissa de Azevedo Olivas accepted the PT's request, which alleges that the printed materials were outside the standards determined by electoral law.

Posted by

João Caminoto

September 3, 2022 20:43

Pedro França / Senate Agency

“The discrepancy between the font size of the name of the candidate for senator in relation to that of the substitutes is evident”, wrote the judge who accepted the request from the lawyers of the Brazilian Federation of Hope (political organization formed by PT, PCdoB and PV).

The electoral committee of Senate candidate Paulo Roberto Martins was also searched this Saturday morning, under the same argument: the candidates tried to “hide” the substitutes, whose names are in smaller size than required by law in campaign advertisements broadcast on TV, social media and in print.

The removal of posts on social media was also required by the judge, who set a 48-hour deadline for deletion, under penalty of a daily fine of R$5.000.

Sérgio Moro's advisor denied the irregularity and his legal team stated that they will request a review of the preliminary decision. On social media, Moro repudiated the action.

What Moro's defense says

"The search and seizure refers solely to the fact that, supposedly, the names of the substitutes are not 30% larger than the name of the incumbent. However, this does not correspond to the truth. The names are in accordance with the required rules, therefore, the legal team will ask for the decision to be reconsidered. The search and seizure was carried out at the residence, since the address was indicated in the application registration. The aggressive initiative and the sensationalism of the diligence required by the PT are repudiated“. (Lawyer Gustavo Guedes, at the UOL)

➡️ Nothing comparable to the billions of reais stolen during the PT and Lula governments. They will not intimidate me, but I repudiate the grotesque attempt to defame me and intimidate my family.
— Sergio Moro (@SF_Moro) September 3, 2022

In a report, Estadão explained that, according to the Elections Law, the name of the substitute candidates, 'In addition to being clear and legible, it must be no smaller than 30% of the holder's name on campaign materials.

The Electoral Court analyzes compliance with the standard by measuring the font sizes (height and length of letters) used to spell candidates' names.

It is possible to see, in the judge's orders, the tables with the sizes of the letters found in copies of Moro and Martins' materials.

Top photo: Pedro França/Agência Senado

This post was last modified on December 13, 2022 15:47 pm

João Caminoto

Journalist with more than 30 years of experience, I held various positions - from reporter to international correspondent to editorial director - in several publications, such as Estadão, Broadcast, Época, BBC, Veja and Folha. I feel privileged to have embraced this profession. I am in love with my family and Corinthians.