Public pressure builds for a speedy trial of “mensalão”

A symbolic jail, made of PVC tubes, was set up on the beach in Ipanema over the weekend as part of a public campaign to get the Brazilian Supreme Court to judge the case of the “Big Monthly Allowance” (“mensalão”) that was paid to members of Congress for their support at the beginning of the Luis Inacio Lula da Silva administration. A total of 38 people are charged with involvement in the vote-buying scheme.

Signatures were collected for a petition that will be sent to the Supreme Court by the end of the month. There are reportedly over 40,000 signatures on the petition on the internet. Weekend demonstrations also took place in many other cities around the country.

According to one Rio demonstrator, businessman Marcelo Medeiros, interviewed by Agência Brasil, the problem is that there are statutes of limitation on the crimes committed by politicians in the mensalão case. Medeiros, one of the organizers of the protest, said he was concerned because this is an election year.

 “The Supreme Court has an obligation to ensure that candidates guilty of crimes in the mensalão case cannot run for office in this year’s municipal elections,” declared Medeiros, who was wearing a t-shirt that proclaimed: “Catch a thief.” He insisted that the Clean Criminal Record law (“Ficha Limpa”) had to apply immediately and the only way that could happen would be for the Supreme Court to deal with the mensalão case in a timely manner. [Ficha Limpa prohibits anyone with a criminal conviction from running for public office]

The mensalão has been in the Supreme Court since 2007. At the moment, it is waiting for an opinion from one of the justices.

There is a meeting of the court scheduled for this Tuesday, May 22, to discuss a timetable and the logistics of the mensalão trial, which should begin in July or August.