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2026-08-06 23:22 UTC → 2026-08-07 11:10 UTC ·
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Brazil STJ minister Buzzi removed after verdict stripped of post
The disciplinary proceeding against suspended Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) minister Marco Buzzi continues to unfold. After two sexual‑harassment complaints – one from an 18‑year‑old who said Buzzi tried to seize her on a beach in Santa Catarina, another from a former STJ staff member alleging repeated harassment – the STJ scheduled a hearing for 6 August. Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) began disciplinary proceedings in early 2024. Buzzi’s defense has submitted defence presented medical reports asserting alleging severe erectile dysfunction and related conditions, arguing they make dysfunction, which the alleged conduct physically impossible. The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) rejected this claim, maintaining that the evidence supports the charges and requesting a compulsory retirement with proportional benefits before the new STJ leadership takes office on 19 August. Separately, on 25 rejected. In July 2024 the Supreme Federal Court (STF) authorized Buzzi’s his inclusion in Operação Sisamnes, a criminal probe into a scheme to sell judicial sentences after a Federal Police operation uncovered illegal access to the STJ’s voting‑minutes system. sale of judicial sentences. On 6 August 2024 the STJ plenary voted unanimously to place Buzzi placed him at the disposal of his position, effectively removing him under applying the newly regulated penalty of availability with loss of office. He will retain office; he retained a proportional salary until pending a separate action by the Advocacia‑Geral da União files a separate action, (AGU) and may could still appeal to the STF. A further plenary vote on 6 August 2026 confirmed his removal, this time imposing the penalty of loss of post – the first instance a Brazilian magistrate has been dismissed under the Conselho Nacional de Justiça’s new maximum sanction. The vote was unanimous, with 28 ministers in favour and four dissenting only on the less severe compulsory‑retirement option. The Prosecutor General’s Office, which had earlier sought compulsory retirement, switched to support the loss‑of‑post sanction. To cease his salary, AGU must file a new action. Buzzi retains the right to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.