Minister of the STM nominated by Lula comes under scrutiny from the INSS Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry

A minister of the Superior Military Court (STM), appointed to the position by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has come under the scrutiny of the Joint Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPMI) investigating alleged irregularities in the granting of social security benefits.

Parliamentarians who are part of the commission are considering summoning the minister to provide clarifications, following the emergence of information that would link her, directly or indirectly, to administrative or institutional decisions under investigation. Although there is no formal accusation so far, the inclusion of the magistrate's name has raised the political temperature surrounding the work of the CPMI.

Impact in Congress

Opposition members argue that the investigation should reach all authorities involved, regardless of their position. "No one is above parliamentary scrutiny when there are suspicions involving public funds," declared one of the commission members.

Government allies, however, argue that the minister holds a position in the Judiciary and that any investigation must respect the constitutional limits of the separation of powers, warning of the risk of politicizing the investigations.

Context of the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission

The INSS Parliamentary Inquiry Commission was established to investigate fraud, control failures, and possible schemes of improper granting of benefits, which allegedly caused millions in losses to public coffers. The commission has already broken confidentiality agreements, summoned former directors of the institute, and broadened the scope of its investigations in recent weeks.

Next Steps

The eventual summoning of the STM minister will still be discussed internally and depends on the approval of a majority of the commission members. If summoned, she may appear as a guest or as a subpoenaed witness, according to the committee's decision.

This episode reinforces the climate of political tension surrounding the Joint Parliamentary Inquiry Commission and is expected to generate further clashes between the government and the opposition in the coming days.