Brazil: who is Cristiano Zanin Martins, Lula’s lawyer appointed to the Supreme Court?

By Diogenes Freire

When confirming the nomination of his lawyer to the vacancy left by Justice Ricardo Lewandowski in the Supreme Court (STF), the sworn-in president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), said that “Brazil will be proud” of Cristiano Zanin Martins’ performance in the Supreme Court.

According to Lula, the lawyer’s performance on his behalf during the unfolding of Operation Lava Jato (Car Wash) was preponderant for the nomination.

According to the press, Zanin’s work – which resulted in Lula’s conviction – cost R$1.7 million.

Last year, Zanin was hired by the PT campaign to provide legal advice to Lula.

The lawyer received R$1.2 million for his services, according to Superior Electoral Court (TSE) records.

The approval of Zanin for the STF is already taken for granted by PT supporters and part of the militant press.

To learn more about the lawyer who will probably occupy a seat on the country’s highest court after providing services to Lula, BSM has prepared a brief profile of the criminalist.

APPROACHING LULA

Before working directly for Lula, Zanin represented his son, Luís Cláudio Lula da Silva, in the case of the diplomatic passport.

The document was granted by then-president Lula at the end of his second term but was annulled by the courts.

According to the judge who wrote the sentence, there was “anti-republican” treatment for “personal prestige”.

Zanin was introduced to the Lula family by former partner and lawyer Roberto Teixeira, who is Zanin’s father-in-law and a close friend of Lula.

Although he already defended Lula, Teixeira appointed his son-in-law to take over the Lava Jato cases.

Zanin is considered a specialist in “lawfare” cases when the law is used for persecution.

Accustomed to making headlines and considered a “brilliant” lawyer, even by critics, Zanin gained new prominence when he began to be publicly quoted by Lula to take a seat on the STF.

Called an “ice man” by colleagues, the PT supporters often praise Zanin for his “loyalty” to the leader of the extreme left.

Even when he faced friendly fire for disagreeing with his strategy in conducting the defense, Zanin remained loyal to his client, who decided to follow the lawyer’s guidelines to the detriment of militancy.

According to press reports, Lula offered Zanin a position of his choice in the government.

The lawyer denied the offer and said he preferred to continue his career in the judiciary.

The lawyer has not always been active in defending big names, but he has also been a defendant.

BSM reported that in 2020, Zanin became a target of Operation Lava Jato.

According to the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF), more than 50% of the annual budget of the Sistema S in Rio de Janeiro was allocated to contracts with law firms.

About R$151 million were allegedly diverted in the scheme led by Orlando Santos Diniz and also by Marcelo Almeida, Roberto Teixeira, Cristiano Zanin, Fernando Hargreaves, Vladimir Spíndola, Ana Tereza Basílio, José Roberto Sampaio, Eduardo Martins, Sérgio Cabral, and Adriana Ancelmo.

In addition to the Lava Jato investigation, Zanin and his wife are also sued for moral damages and abusive working conditions.

According to Folha de São Paulo, the first two lawsuits are from 2017, when Zanin acted in Lula’s defense in the scope of Operation Lava Jato.

The last action against the lawyer is from March of this year.

Folha states, “The lawyers report that the workers were offended by the lawyer’s wife and treated in a humiliating way.”

The newspaper also found that compensation has already been paid in the case of 2017.

The processes are under secrecy.

With information from Brasil Sem Medo

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