Lula monitors case of removal of PF director and government prepares legal challenge

Despite not having spoken publicly, Lula followed developments in the case throughout the day. After the decision was announced, the president met with members of the government, including the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Wellington Lima e Silva, and the Union's attorney general, Jorge Messias.

This Wednesday (9), the president maintains his planned agenda outside Brasília and leaves for Teresina (PI), where he fulfills government agendas and also commitments related to the electoral campaign. The official schedule does not foresee commitments in the federal capital.

This Tuesday afternoon, the president participated in an event in Planalto do Planalto this Tuesday afternoon, held in reference to Amazon Day. During his speech, he limited himself to talking about environmental issues and did not mention the case.

The assessment is that Planalto can challenge the measure through legal means, but without adopting a confrontational discourse with the Court.

In the request presented to the President of the Court, Minister Edson Fachin, the AGU argues that Mendonça's decision interferes with the prerogative of the President of the Republic to appoint and dismiss the director general of the Federal Police.

The body also maintains that the immediate removal of the head of the corporation could cause damage to the PF administration and create a risk of discontinuity in the conduct of its activities.

The minister pointed out suspicions related to the illegal monitoring of authorities and also ordered the removal of the Federal Police Intelligence director, Leandro Almada. According to Mendonça, the measures are necessary to preserve ongoing investigations.

The decision also imposes the immediate opening of criminal and administrative-disciplinary investigative procedures in the PF Internal Affairs Department to investigate the circumstances surrounding the production of intelligence reports that monitored authorities.

Mendonça also ordered the suspension of any production or sharing of intelligence reports aimed at analyzing the functional performance of magistrates, public law or judicial police activity.

The minister argued that there was systematic and illegal monitoring carried out by the PF for more than a month against its own actions and against the Union's attorney general, Jorge Messias.

The decision was taken to the Second Panel of the STF and received three votes in favor of its maintenance, from ministers André Mendonça, Nunes Marques and Luiz Fux. The trial, however, was interrupted after Gilmar Mendes requested a view. The injunction remains in force.

The decision provoked reactions in the government, the Supreme Court and within the Federal Police. In a public demonstration, Murad came out in defense of Andrei Rodrigues and stated that the corporation will maintain its technical and independent operations. PF directors also demonstrated support for the dismissed delegate.

The directors of the Federal Police expressed, through a note, their "full support" for the dismissed general director Andrei Rodrigues and made their positions available to delegate William Marcel Murad, substitute general director who took over the corporation after his departure.