Justice Cristiano Zanin of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) asked on Saturday (5) for those involved in the disclosure of his tax and bank records to be held accountable, including in the criminal sphere. The records were attached to the Senate candidacy registration of Deltan Dallagnol, of the Novo party, a former federal prosecutor running in the state of Paraná. The case was first reported by Metrópoles, in the column of Demétrio Vecchioli.

According to Metrópoles, the files include tax and bank data of Zanin, his wife, his father-in-law, a sister-in-law and the law firm where he was a partner before joining the court. The information was obtained by the Car Wash task force in 2019, when Zanin was a lawyer for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The order that allowed the access was signed by Justice Marcelo Bretas and was later annulled by the STF's Second Panel. Zanin then filed a complaint against Dallagnol and other prosecutors with the CNMP, the national council that oversees prosecutors, and his tax data became part of those case files.

To answer a challenge to his candidacy filed by the PT-led coalition in Paraná, Dallagnol's lawyers attached to his registration the full contents of the confidential CNMP proceedings against him. According to Poder360, the material was entered into the system of the TRE-PR, the electoral court of Paraná, and could be read on the public consultation page of the Superior Electoral Court. In a statement, his defense denied any intent to expose the justice:

"The candidate's defense never intended to expose the then lawyer's data, but rather to fully exercise the political right to run for office, conclusively demonstrating his eligibility."

The justice's reaction

Zanin sent an official letter to the president of the TRE-PR, Judge Luciano Carrasco Falavinha Souza. In the document, he cited the Metrópoles report and asked the court for measures:

"In view of this, I ask Your Honor to take measures to remedy this illegality, as well as to make the appropriate notifications aimed at holding those involved accountable, including in the criminal sphere."

Secrecy and next steps

The case's rapporteur, Vanessa Jamus Marchi, ordered at 2:16 p.m. on Saturday that every document attached to challenges and responses be urgently classified as sealed under judicial secrecy. By 3:12 p.m. the order had not been fully carried out, according to Metrópoles. In a statement, the TRE-PR said it had "determined the immediate classification as confidential of documents in the case, which totals more than 5,000 pages".

The court still has to rule on the challenge to Dallagnol's registration. Metrópoles reported that the electoral prosecutor's office has taken a position in favor of his eligibility. Zanin wants the TRE-PR to notify the competent authorities for criminal investigations. Dallagnol's defense maintains that the data is essential for the electoral court's decision on the candidacy.