STF authorizes investigation against STJ minister Marco Buzzi in case of sale of sentences The 68-year-old Santa Catarina minister Marco Buzzi should be the target of an investigation by the Federal Police. He has held the position at the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) since September 2011 and has been away since February this year, following accusations of harassment and sexual harassment presented by two women. The Federal Supreme Court (STF) authorized the PF to investigate Buzzi in the investigation that investigates suspicions of selling sentences. ?Click and follow the g1 SC channel on WhatsApp Marco Buzzi is from Timbó, in the Itajaí Valley. In February, he was accused by an 18-year-old girl of sexual harassment during a family vacation in Balneário Camboriú (SC). At the same time, a former cabinet employee also exposed repeated episodes of sexual harassment and harassment committed while working on the judge's team at the STJ. Who is Marco Buzzi? Buzzi has a master's degree in legal science, with specialization in public sector management and control, consumer law and legal-political institutions. He was elected president of the Santa Catarina Magistrates Association in 1998/1999 and was a member of the Fiscal Council of the Santa Catarina Magistrates Association. He was also the founder of the newspaper A Tribuna. Before going to the STJ, he was president of the Third Chamber of Commercial Law of the Court of Justice of Santa Catarina (TJSC), in 2010. At the STJ, he was appointed to fill the vacancy left by former minister Paulo Medina, who had compulsory retirement decreed by the National Council of Justice (CNJ). What are the suspicions regarding the sale of sentences? The investigators pointed out to the STF that there are mentions of Buzzi's family members in material gathered throughout Operation Sisamnes, which has been investigating a sentence selling scheme at the STJ since November 2024. Now, the PF analyzes the data to find out whether there is indeed evidence against the minister and his family. In a statement, the judge's defense denied any irregularity. "Minister Buzzi has no relationship with the activities of any of his family members, on the contrary, he is prevented from exercising his role as a judge in cases in which family members act. He has no knowledge of the progress of the case in question, nor does he appear to be under investigation." The Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet, reported nine people being investigated to the STF, including operators and former civil servants, for crimes such as criminal organization, money laundering, corruption, exploitation of prestige and violation of professional secrecy. The PGR concluded that it had gathered elements that prove that a criminal organization operated, between 2019 and December 2023, in a scheme to sell sentences in the Superior Court of Justice. STJ Minister Marco Buzzi Luiz Silveira/Agência CNJ Buzzi will be tried in relation to suspected sexual crimes The president of the STJ, minister Herman Benjamin, scheduled Buzzi's trial for August 6th, starting at 9am, in relation to accusations of sexual crimes. Buzzi is the target of an Administrative Disciplinary Process (PAD) that investigates accusations of harassment and sexual harassment presented by two women: an 18-year-old girl, who reported being the victim of sexual harassment during a family vacation at the minister's house in Balneário Camboriú (SC); and a former cabinet employee who reported repeated episodes of sexual harassment and harassment committed while working on the judge's team at the STJ. Since the beginning of the investigations, minister Marco Buzzi's defense has vehemently denied that the magistrate committed any illegal act. The trial will take place under secrecy to preserve the privacy of the parties and protect the evidence gathered throughout the disciplinary process. Buzzi was precautionarily removed from the position and facilities of the STJ in February 2026, shortly after the allegations came to light. In the final phase of the PAD, the ministers of the STJ Special Court will decide whether to apply a disciplinary sanction to the judge. Among the administrative penalties applicable within the court are compulsory retirement and loss of position. The Attorney General's Office defended the application of compulsory retirement. Parallel to the investigation at the STJ, the case is also investigated in the criminal sphere in an investigation that is being processed at the STF, under the report of Minister Kassio Nunes Marques, due to the forum's prerogative of function. MORE