Brazil: To the PGR, federal deputy Zambelli denies illegality of drawing a gun and chasing a journalist

The Brazilian Attorney General’s Office (PGR) took a statement this Wednesday, 16, from federal deputy Carla Zambelli in the midst of the investigation into the episode in which the parliamentarian pulled out a pistol and chased journalist Luan Araújo, in São Paulo, on the eve of the second round of the presidential election.

The hearing was requested by the Federal Public Ministry itself and authorized by Minister Gilmar Mendes, of the Federal Supreme Court.

A first-time ally of President Jair Bolsonaro, Zambelli was heard via conference call. In a note, the deputy’s advisory said that she ‘clarified the context’ in which she drew her weapon, maintaining that her conduct ‘was not covered by any illegality.’

The parliamentarian says she is a victim of political violence. The advisory also points out that Zambelli has ‘federal bearing’ and that the deputy volunteered to take a gunpowder test, with a negative result.

“The deputy’s defense clarifies that there is no criminal action in progress, it is just a preliminary investigation procedure, which she believes will lead to the case being closed,” records the note from Zambelli’s team.

In the dispatch that determined the deputy’s hearing, Gilmar defended an investigation of the case with an “appropriate pace” due to the relevance of the episode. The minister cited possible crimes of illegal possession and firing of a firearm and “criminal offenses against the personal liberty, honor or life of those involved.”

With information from Exame

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