Moraes orders Ramagem’s mandate loss; procedure not yet defined

Minister Alexandre de Moraes, from the Supreme Federal Court (STF), ordered on Tuesday (25) that the Chamber of Deputies revoke Alexandre Ramagem’s mandate (PL-RJ). Moraes’ decision definitively condemns Ramagem to serve the penalties for attempted coup. Besides losing his mandate and political rights, he was also sentenced to 16 years in prison.

According to Federal Police sources, Alexandre Ramagem left the country before the Supreme Court’s final ruling on the coup plot. The former director-general of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) arrived in the United States in the second week of September, at the time of the Court’s sentence.

Moraes’ order to revoke Ramagem’s mandate and make the conviction final will be subject to the approval of the First Section of the STF. The procedure for the revocation of the parliamentary mandate has not been defined yet.

The decision to lose the mandate must be declared ex officio by the Chamber’s Board of Directors. Moraes understands that serving the sentence in closed regime prevents Ramagem from being present in the Chamber, which would lead the parliamentarian to accumulate more absences than allowed by the Constitution.

Similar action was taken by the STF against Deputy Carla Zambelli (PL-SP), who also fled Brazil and may be extradited from Italy at the Brazilian government’s request.

Before being sentenced by the STF, Alexandre Ramagem left Brazil for the United States. According to the Federal Police, his departure was clandestine to avoid a potential Court conviction.

Ramagem continued to exercise his mandate remotely, presenting medical certificates to the Chamber of Deputies. By exploiting gaps within the Chamber and without disclosing his departure from the country, Ramagem remained voting.

Members of Ramagem’s party claimed that he acted ‘surreptitiously,’ even sending messages implying he was in Brazil during his absence. The Chamber’s technicians consider that Ramagem may have circumvented internal rules while abroad.

The rules regarding attendance registration and eligibility for remote voting state that the possibility is only granted to lawmakers who formally request a health-related leave. Ramagem submitted two health certificates stating his need for absence, which, according to Chamber technicians, should only justify absences and not allow remote voting.