Brazil: With STF Approval, Deolane Bezerra Does Not Appear Before the Bets CPI

Brazil – April 11, 2025 www.zonadeazar.com Senators from the Bets CPI criticized the Supreme Federal Court (STF) decision to exempt digital influencer Deolane Bezerra from testifying before the committee this Thursday (10). This is the second time Deolane has received approval from the Court to avoid testifying before the senators—previously, the same occurred in October 2024, before the CPI on Game and Sports Betting Manipulation.

Senator Soraya Thronicke (Podemos-MS), rapporteur of the Bets CPI, stated that Minister André Mendonça was wrong in considering that the Civil Police investigations in Pernambuco against Deolane were an obstacle to her testimony. The influencer is under investigation for money laundering and was even arrested in 2024.

According to Soraya, the investigations have already been closed. The senator also assured that Deolane would not be forced to incriminate herself and that her rights would be respected, including legal assistance.

— The [Mendonça] decision here is null. We are not against Deolane. We do not want to indict anyone without understanding the case. We would like to talk to her and ask: “Can you explain this inflow of funds into your accounts?” But apparently, she does not want to answer. The Legislative Power, during a CPI, has police authority. We would very much like our decisions to be respected. We are simply fulfilling our duty.

The rapporteur also criticized the STF’s decision to assign the request to André Mendonça. She said she suspected the court confused the Bets CPI with the CPI on Sports Betting Manipulation—where, in 2024, the habeas corpus exempting Deolane from testifying was under Mendonça’s jurisdiction.

— This habeas corpus was assigned due to prevention, which happens when a judge is already handling a related case. Another habeas corpus request fell to the same minister in the CPI on Game and Sports Betting Manipulation. However, this CPI has nothing to do with that one. This is not a reason for prevention. I believe the distinguished lawyers managed to mislead Minister André Mendonça.

Senator Izalci Lucas (PL-DF) pointed out that not all investigations against Deolane have been closed but agreed that the STF’s stance on this issue, repeated in other cases, weakens the parliamentary oversight power.

— If this tradition continues, the role of the CPI will cease to exist. It could be rendered useless. This creates a classic tension between guaranteeing individual rights, especially for those under investigation, and the public interest in obtaining information. The [STF] decision creates a demobilizing effect. Other summoned individuals may use the same argument to evade legislative investigations.

The committee’s president, Senator Dr. Hiran (PP-RR), stated that the decision remains under judicial secrecy and that the Senate Advocacy has appealed to the STF. Soraya mentioned that the court took too long to inform the committee and that some senators first learned about the decision online. According to her, Deolane posted the ruling on her social media.

Requests

During the meeting, senators approved 31 requests, including six mandatory summons for testimony. The six summoned individuals are administrators of the company Responsa Gaming. According to Soraya, the company claims to operate under a license from the Rio de Janeiro Lottery but is not authorized by the Ministry of Finance.

Requests were also approved for financial intelligence reports from 23 financial institutions and betting sector companies. The document is produced by the Financial Activities Control Council (Coaf), a body that monitors suspicious financial transactions.

Senate Agency (Reproduction authorized with citation of the Senate Agency)
Source: Senate Agency
Edited by: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com