CNJ forms majority to maintain removal of three Amazonas judges suspected of irregularities

CNJ removes three judges from Manaus The National Council of Justice (CNJ) formed a majority to maintain the removal of three judges from the Court of Justice of Amazonas (TJAM), investigated for suspected irregularities in the conduct of processes. By the early afternoon of this Wednesday (19), 11 of the 15 councilors had voted to maintain the decision, signed on Monday (17) by the national inspector of Justice, Minister Mauro Campbell. The magistrates were placed on precautionary leave for 120 days. They are: Leoney Figliuolo Harraquian, from the 2nd Public Finance Court; Rosselberto Himenes, from the 7th Civil and Work Accidents Court; and Marco Antônio Pinto da Costa, from the 1st State Active Debt Court (VEDAE). Until early afternoon, they voted to maintain their removal by Daiane Nogueira de Lira, Noemia Porto, Paulo Régis Machado Botelho, Fabio Francisco Esteves, Silvio Roberto Oliveira de Amorim Junior, Marcello Terto e Silva, Ulisses Rabaneda dos Santos, Andréa Cunha Esmeraldo and Jaceguara Dantas da Silva, in addition to the votes of the Internal Affairs Department and the Presidency of the CNJ. ? Join the g1 AM channel on WhatsApp Four councilors still needed to vote: Kátia Magalhães Arruda, Ilan Presser, Carlos Vinícius Alves Ribeiro and Rodrigo Badaró. According to the CNJ website, the virtual session should end this Wednesday (19). During their leave, judges are prevented from carrying out activities related to the proceedings. They, however, continue to receive their salaries normally. The CNJ also ordered the opening of individual disciplinary complaints against each magistrate. In a note, TJAM informed that it will fully comply with the CNJ's decision, observing the terms and determinations within its institutional competence. See below what the decision says about each magistrate: Leoney Figliuolo Harraquian According to the CNJ, the main problems highlighted in the magistrate's performance are the delay in analyzing processes and failures in the management of the collection. Harraquian had 18 injunctions suspended for more than 30 days and 18 processes without movement for more than 120 days. According to the CNJ, the situation hampers the progress of processes in the Amazonas Courts. Among the cases cited are administrative improbity actions by the Public Ministry of Amazonas (MPAM) that remain stopped for long periods. In a note, the judge said he received the news of his dismissal with deep surprise, reinforced that he has dedicated more than 30 years to the work of the judiciary and stated that the aforementioned procedures were archived by the CNJ without any sanction or punishment being applied to his conduct. See the full note at the end of the report. Rosselberto Himenes The CNJ investigation showed that the number of cases under the responsibility of Rosselberto Himenes increased by around 30% in one year. The agency also identified 81 injunctions that have been suspended for more than 30 days. The decision also cites old cases that have remained unsentenced for more than 15 years. One of the cases mentioned is an adverse possession process distributed in 2011. According to the CNJ, there were 31 processes awaiting decision related to the case, without a definitive sentence having been given. The agency also pointed out a difference between the data released by the court itself, which indicated a normal situation, and the number of paralyzed processes identified in the investigation. In a statement, Rosselberto Himenes stated that he was surprised by the decision. He said that he will present a defense in the case brought against him and stated that the 7th Civil and Work Accidents Court met 103.82% of the annual national targets and 126.55% of the monthly targets. See the full note at the end of the report. Marco Antônio Pinto da Costa According to the CNJ, Marco Antônio Pinto da Costa has a collection of 15,769 cases. Of this total, 3,987 were in the judge's office awaiting a response so they could move forward. According to the agency, 1,869 processes had been concluded for more than 120 days. The judge also had 51 injunctions suspended for more than 30 days. The CNJ also pointed out signs of unequal treatment between the parties and a lack of impartiality in the conduct of the processes. Among the cases analyzed are seizure requests made by the Public Treasury that would have remained unfulfilled for years. The body also analyzed the change of a sentence by another judge in favor of a supermarket chain after a request for reconsideration. In addition, seven tax foreclosures against a company in the food sector were analyzed. g1 and Rede Amazônica try to locate the defense of judge Marco Antônio Pinto da Costa. Building of the headquarters of the Court of Justice of Amazonas (TJAM), in Manaus Catiane Moura/Rede Amazônica CNJ removed three other magistrates in the last two years In 2025, minister Mauro Campbell removed a judge and two judges from TJAM. Judge Elci Simões de Oliveira and judge Jean Carlos Pimentel dos Santos, from the Single Court of the District of Presidente Figueiredo, were removed on February 21, 2025. Roger Luiz Paz de Almeida, from the Court of Executions of Alternative Measures and Penalties (Vemepa), was removed a week later, on February 28, 2025. All employees jurisdictions were removed on suspicion of involvement in irregularities in the conduct of a legal process involving Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras (Eletrobras). The case involved a withdrawal of R$150 million from the company. According to the CNJ, the decision considered the speed with which the process progressed, incompatible with the workload of the Single Court. Check out the full notes released by the dismissed judges Leoney Figliuolo Harraquian: "I received the news of my dismissal with deep surprise. Over more than 30 years dedicated to the judiciary, I have guided my entire career and professional conduct by the non-negotiable commitment to effective, transparent and rapid judicial provision for the benefit of society. The mention of the existence of processes n