STF First Panel Unanimously Makes Ex-TSE Aide Eduardo Tagliaferro a Defendant

Alexandre de Moraes, as rapporteur, was joined by Cristiano Zanin, Flávio Dino and Cármen Lúcia in a unanimous virtual vote to receive the PGR’s complaint. The charges filed by federal prosecutors include violation of functional secrecy, coaction during proceedings, obstruction of an investigation involving organized crime and attempted abolition of the democratic state. Investigators allege he leaked confidential STF and TSE communications to the press between 2023 and 2024 to bolster a disinformation network targeting electoral legitimacy. The case now moves to evidence collection, interrogations and witness hearings in the instruction phase, and the ruling does not determine guilt. Tagliaferro remains in Italy under local restrictions in Cosenza as Brasília seeks his extradition, with reports citing potential combined penalties ranging up to 14–22 years if convicted.