On Thursday (December 11), Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes annulled the Chamber of Deputies' vote that preserved Deputy Carla Zambelli's (PL-SP) mandate, ordering its immediate loss. Zambelli, sentenced to 10 years in prison for hacking the CNJ systems, has been imprisoned in Italy since July. The ruling overturns the overnight vote, which garnered 227 votes for cassation, short of the required 257.
In the early hours of December 11, 2025, Brazil's Chamber of Deputies voted to uphold Deputy Carla Zambelli's mandate, with 227 votes for cassation, 110 against, and 10 abstentions. Falling short of the required 257 votes, the process was archived. However, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes annulled the deliberation that evening, citing violations of Articles 55, III and VI of the Federal Constitution.
Moraes ordered the immediate loss of the mandate and instructed Chamber President Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB) to swear in the substitute within 48 hours. The ruling follows Zambelli's conviction by the STF's First Panel in May 2025 to 10 years' imprisonment for ordering the hacking of the National Justice Council (CNJ) systems with hacker Walter Delgatti Neto. The deputy fled Brazil and was arrested in Italy on July 29, 2025, where she remains detained, unable to fully perform her parliamentary duties.
The decision sparked polarized reactions. Former Deputy Joice Hasselmann mocked on social media: “It's priceless to see the faces of the Bolsonarist deputies today. All wilted, like wet chicks in the Chamber's henhouse.” Fugitive Deputy Alexandre Ramagem (PL-RJ) called Moraes the 'King of Brazil' and 'out of control.' Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) decried a 'dictatorship,' while PL leader Sóstenes Cavalcante (RJ) labeled him a 'psychopathic dictator' and accused him of 'abuse of power.'
Government and Centrão deputies see Motta with no choice but to comply. Lindbergh Farias (PT-RJ), who petitioned the STF, celebrated: 'The minister recognized that Zambelli's final conviction makes exercising the mandate legally impossible.' Experts cite precedents like Natan Donadon and Paulo Maluf, affirming that convictions with final judgment entail automatic loss of mandate. The ruling may extend to Ramagem, whose cassation was set for December 17.
