Vanderlei Farias ordered to pay R$ 20,000 for defamation in election propaganda

A court in Santa Catarina has ordered Vanderlei Farias, known as Lela of the PT party, to pay R$ 20,000 in moral damages to Fábio Botelho. The ruling follows election propaganda distributed during the 2024 mayoral campaign in Florianópolis that falsely linked Botelho to a corruption scheme.

The 4th Civil Court of the Capital determined that the campaign material exceeded the limits of political criticism and freedom of expression by associating Botelho with criminal activities without factual support. The propaganda referenced the ‘Operação Mercadores da Morte’ and used terms such as ‘mafia’, ‘bribes’, and ‘corruption’, claiming that those involved in the scheme required Botelho’s ‘approval’.

However, the court noted that Botelho was not an investigated or indicted party in the criminal action mentioned, but was serving only as a witness. The judiciary also found that national journalistic reports used as a basis for the claims did not mention Botelho by name. The compensation amount was set considering the gravity of the accusations and the wide reach of the content on television and the internet.