The ex-president Lula became, for the second time, defendant in the Lava Jato process. The judge Sérgio Moro accepted the denunciation made by the MPF [Federal Public Ministry] against Lula, by ‘passive corruption’ and money laundry. The first time, Lula became defendant when, by the end of July, the Federal Justice of DF [Federal District] also accepted the MPF denunciation of Lula obstructing the Lava Jato investigations.
By Mariucha Fontana.
The partiality of the bourgeois justice
The MPF presented the denunciation bombastically on TV, on the 15 of this month. The attorney Deltan Dallagnol presented Lula, “by conviction, not proofs”, as the chief of a criminal organization that would have disputed four mandates with the only goal of robbing public patrimony. In practice, however, he did denounced three crimes: the reform of the triplex in Guarujá by the constructor company OAS [involved in Lava Jato], the payment, by the same company, of transportation of goods he acquired as President; and talks made by Lula, whose payments, according to the attorneys, indicate bribes.
In July, there was no juridical base for Lula’s “coercive conduction”[1] or for any restriction of his individual rights. This deserves our repudiation. We continue to repudiate any arbitrary conduct by the MPF. As we already dais, the Judicial Power is not impartial. It serves the interests of banks and big companies. That serves for the STF [Federal Supreme Court], the STJ [Justice Supreme Court], the TST [Superior Labour Court] and the MPF. It also serves for the judge Sergio Moro and the attorney Deltan Dellagnol. It is enough to see the corruption investigations of the “toucans” [PSDB] and the PDMB do not move forward.
But from here we cannot fall for the speech of the PT and almost all the left wing that there is a coup against the Constitutional State, or that Lula’s process is an attack to the working class. Or worst, than the governments of PT, Lula and other PT members involved in corruption can only be judged by a workers’ justice. That makes no sense whatsoever. Not even Lula, who once again made a speech for his new rich friends, uses an argument like this. On the contrary -hypocritically, of course-, the said: “proof one act of corruption and I will put myself in jail”.
PT and Lula’s alliance with the big business
The PT, Lula and Dilma turned their backs on the workers and made alliances with the banks, contractors and big businessmen to govern Brazil. They left the workers’ struggles aside to rule with this National Congress full of corrupt ones. They rules for the banks and big companies, not for the workers.
The PT, Lula and their campaigns were supported by money of the bug companies. They established bonds that Lula treats as friendships between him and the bosses. Lula and the PT abandoned the independence any workers’ organization must have from the bosses. By making this choice, the PT and Lula also chose the consequences.
Workers’ have no reasons to defend Lula
Truth is, today, most part of the working class lives a breakup process with the PT that, while in the government, did no different than the PSDB or PMDB. Lula’s speech after the denunciation of MPF, on TV, was a demonstration of that.
Lula, that one day signed the famous phrase on the 300 pickaxes of the Congress, immortalized in the song of Paralamas do Sucesso[2], now dedicated good part of his speech to the dominant class, their parties and their Congress. He got to defend the politicians and attack the public service workers: “the most honest profession is to be a politician. Do you know why? Because every year, no matter how much he has robbed, he will have to go on the streets to face the people and ask for their vote. The public worker does not have to do that. He studies at the university, participated of a public tender and he has a guaranteed job for the rest of his life. The politician does not”, he said.
Days later, in the Congress, politicians of the PMDB, PSDB, DEM, PRB and PT tried to approve amnesty to the politicians that used the slush fund [not declared financial resources] or received bribes during the last election.
Prison and goods confiscation of corrupt and corrupting ones
It would be impossible for the bourgeoisie to touch Lula when he still had the support of the working class. Not even the dictatorship could. If today Lula is completely defensive and can end up in jail is because most of the working class broke up with the PT government and the PT itself.
The workers must continue to defend prison and expropriation of all the corrupt and corrupting ones, be them from the PT, PMDB or PSDB.
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Notes:
[1] Brazilian Penal Code Process clause that allows to take any subject involved in a legal process (suspect, witnesses, experts, etc.] to the police or judicial authorities.
[2] Brazilian rock band that made a song, Luis Inácio (300 pickaxes), based on Lula’s phrase: “são 300 picaretas com anel de doutor”, which means “they are 300 pickaxes wearing a doctor ring”.
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Originally published in Opinião Socialista Nº525.
Translation: Sofía Ballack.
