The judges found her sentences excessive and resting on unreliable testimony
Entre dois sistemas jurídicos e duas nações, Carla Zambelli encontrou, ao menos provisoriamente, um abrigo inesperado: a Corte de Cassação italiana anulou a autorização de extradição que a devolveria ao Brasil, onde foi condenada por invasão de sistemas do CNJ e porte ilegal de armas. A decisão, que contradiz diretamente os esforços do ministro Alexandre de Moraes para repatriar a ex-deputada bolsonarista, revela como a justiça internacional pode produzir fraturas diplomáticas profundas quando dois ordenamentos soberanos chegam a conclusões opostas sobre os mesmos fatos. Zambelli, cidadã italiana, deixou a prisão de Rebibbia em Roma, mas permanece suspensa num limbo jurídico — protegida em solo italiano, vulnerável em qualquer outro lugar do mundo.
- A Corte de Cassação da Itália anulou a extradição de Zambelli ao concluir que as penas eram desproporcionais e as provas, frágeis — incluindo o testemunho de um hacker considerado pouco confiável até pela Polícia Federal brasileira.
- Dias antes da decisão italiana, o ministro Alexandre de Moraes havia ordenado medidas concretas para forçar a extradição, tornando o choque entre os dois sistemas judiciais ainda mais direto e politicamente carregado.
- Solta da penitenciária feminina de Rebibbia, Zambelli enfrenta um limbo: o alerta vermelho da Interpol a impede de se mover livremente pelo mundo sem risco de nova detenção.
- No Brasil, o Supremo Tribunal Federal já cassou seu mandato parlamentar — decisão que sobrepôs a vontade da Câmara, que havia votado contra a perda do cargo — e a aguarda para cumprir pena no presídio federal Colmeia, em Brasília.
- A anulação italiana cobre ambos os processos de extradição, criando um escudo jurídico duplo que o Brasil terá de enfrentar diplomaticamente sem instrumentos imediatos de resposta.
A Corte de Cassação da Itália anulou a autorização de extradição de Carla Zambelli, ex-deputada federal bolsonarista com cidadania italiana, determinando sua soltura da prisão feminina de Rebibbia, em Roma, onde estava detida. A decisão surpreendeu o Judiciário brasileiro, que vinha pressionando ativamente pela repatriação da ex-parlamentar.
Zambelli deixou o Brasil em maio do ano passado após ser condenada por invasão dos sistemas do Conselho Nacional de Justiça — crime que lhe rendeu dez anos de prisão — e por porte ilegal de armas e coação. A Itália havia aprovado a extradição em março, mas o tribunal superior italiano reverteu essa decisão ao concluir que as penas eram desproporcionais e que as provas eram frágeis. Segundo seu advogado no Brasil, Fabio Pagnozzi, o caso dependia em grande parte do testemunho de um hacker considerado pouco confiável pela própria Polícia Federal, e a defesa enfrentou obstáculos para apresentar provas no foro internacional, atribuídos a interferências da Procuradoria-Geral da República.
A tensão diplomática se agravou porque, dias antes da anulação, o ministro Alexandre de Moraes havia ordenado ao Ministério da Justiça e ao Itamaraty que adotassem medidas para efetivar a extradição. Agora, o Brasil se vê diante de uma corte europeia que rejeitou os fundamentos jurídicos da acusação — e sem instrumentos imediatos para reverter a situação.
Zambelli permanece em terreno incerto. O alerta vermelho da Interpol ainda está ativo, o que significa que ela está segura enquanto ficar na Itália, mas vulnerável a uma nova prisão se tentar se deslocar para outro país. A anulação abrange os dois processos de extradição, ampliando o escudo jurídico. No Brasil, o STF já havia cassado seu mandato parlamentar, sobrepondo-se ao voto da Câmara que tentara preservá-lo. Caso fosse extraditada, cumpriria pena no presídio federal Colmeia, em Brasília. Por ora, a proteção veio de onde menos se esperava: de um tribunal estrangeiro que leu os mesmos fatos e chegou a uma conclusão radicalmente diferente.
Italy's highest court has unraveled the extradition case against Carla Zambelli, the former Brazilian deputy now caught between two countries with conflicting legal orders. The Court of Cassation, Italy's equivalent to Brazil's Supreme Court, annulled the authorization that had cleared the way for her return to Brazil, and with that decision came her release from Rebibbia, the women's prison in Rome where she had been held. The move came as a shock to Brazil's judiciary, which had been moving aggressively to bring her back.
Zambelli, who holds Italian citizenship, left Brazil in May of last year after facing serious legal trouble at home. She had been convicted of hacking into the computer systems of Brazil's National Council of Justice—a crime that drew a ten-year prison sentence—and separately convicted of illegal weapons possession and unlawful coercion. Those convictions formed the basis of Brazil's extradition request, filed with Italian authorities and initially approved in March. Just days before the Italian court's reversal, Brazil's Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes had ordered his ministry and the foreign affairs office to take steps to enforce the extradition, signaling how determined the Brazilian government was to see her returned.
But the Italian court saw the case differently. According to Fabio Pagnozzi, Zambelli's lawyer in Brazil, the judges found that her sentences were not only disproportionately harsh but rested on shaky evidentiary ground. The core of the case against her, he explained, hinged largely on testimony from a hacker whom even Brazil's Federal Police regarded as unreliable. The court's skepticism extended to the entire extradition process itself—Pagnozzi noted that the defense had struggled throughout to present evidence in the proceedings, hampered by what he described as interference from Brazil's Attorney General's office, which kept questioning the validity of materials submitted in the international forum.
Now Zambelli faces an uncertain limbo. Her lawyers are still assessing what her release actually means for her freedom of movement. She remains on Interpol's red notice, the international police alert system, which means she cannot simply relocate to another country without risking arrest. If she stays in Italy, she is safe from Brazilian jurisdiction. If she leaves, she becomes vulnerable to capture. The Italian court's annulment covered both of the cases in which Brazil had sought her extradition, so the legal shield extends to both her convictions.
Back in Brazil, the political machinery had been grinding on as well. In December, the Chamber of Deputies voted against stripping Zambelli of her parliamentary seat, an attempt by allies to preserve her mandate. The Supreme Court overruled that vote, declaring her seat forfeited based on her criminal conviction. If she were extradited, she would be imprisoned at the Colmeia, the federal women's penitentiary in Brasília, rather than the Roman facility where she spent the past months.
The collision between the two courts represents a rare moment of friction in an extradition case. Brazil's judiciary, moving with clear intent to reclaim Zambelli, now faces a European court that has essentially rejected the legal foundation of her prosecution. Her lawyers are still working through the implications, but one thing is certain: the woman who fled Brazil seeking refuge in Europe has found it, at least for now, in the form of a judicial decision that her own country's courts will have to reckon with.
Citas Notables
The court understood that despite Zambelli's convictions in Brazil, the sentences were disproportionate and based on very weak evidence, particularly the word of a hacker whom Brazil's own Federal Police consider unreliable— Fabio Pagnozzi, Zambelli's lawyer
The defense faced constant difficulties presenting evidence in extradition proceedings, with Brazil's Attorney General's office repeatedly interfering and questioning the validity of submitted materials— Fabio Pagnozzi, Zambelli's lawyer
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did the Italian court decide to overturn the extradition when Brazil's case seemed to be moving forward?
The judges looked at the actual evidence and found it wasn't solid enough. A hacker's word was carrying the weight of the conviction, and even Brazil's own police didn't trust that witness. The sentences also struck them as excessive for what was actually proven.
So this wasn't about protecting an Italian citizen, but about the quality of the case itself?
Exactly. She happens to have Italian citizenship, which gave her access to their courts, but the decision turned on the merits. They found the prosecution weak and the punishment disproportionate. That's a legal judgment, not a political one.
What happens to her now? Can she just walk around Rome freely?
Not quite. She's released from prison, but her name is still on Interpol's red notice. She can stay in Italy safely, but if she tries to leave for another country, she could be arrested and handed over to Brazil. Her lawyers are still figuring out exactly what her options are.
This must have blindsided the Brazilian government.
It did. Their Justice Minister had just ordered his agencies to push harder for the extradition days before the Italian court reversed course. Now they have a European court saying the case isn't strong enough, which is a direct challenge to their own Supreme Court's conviction.
Does this mean she'll never face prison in Brazil?
Not necessarily. Brazil could appeal or pursue other legal avenues, but as long as she stays in Italy, the Italian court's decision shields her. It's a stalemate, but one that favors her for now.