FEDERAL DISTRICT STARTS IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS
BY 9 VOTES TO 1, THE SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS ARRUDA’S IMPRISONMENT
The governor of the Federal District, José Roberto Arruda (no party, ex-DEM), will remain incarcerated at Federal Police facilities in Brasilia, after the Supreme Court voted 9 to 1 to deny his request for habeas corpus. The opening of procedures for his impeachment by the Lower House reinforced the pressure on Arruda to adopt a more radical approach: that of finally resigning from office to escape the prison sentence determined by the Federal Appeals Court (STJ), responsible for his imprisonment. His political immunity would then kick in, and he could even run for political office in the future, according to existing legislation.