Comparisons · Statement × document
Dallagnol: "evidence consists of pieces of reality" (September 14, 2016) × message "I find it lame," Superior Court of Justice (STJ) ruling, and dismissal at the National Council of the Public Prosecutor's Office (CNMP)
What was said diverges from what a document records.
What was said
“Provas são pedaços da realidade, que geram convicção sobre um determinado fato ou hipótese. Todas essas informações e todas essas provas analisadas como num quebra-cabeça permitem formar seguramente, formar seguramente a figura de Lula no comando do esquema criminoso identificado na Lava Jato.”
Deltan Dallagnol, September 14, 2016 · Press conference · Press conference of the Lava Jato task force (Curitiba) · context and source
What happened afterward
- 2016. Message released by Operation Spoofing, according to a ConJur report reproduced by CUT/RBA (date and recipient not stated on the page read; authenticity not confirmed in the sources), attributed to Dallagnol, who allegedly wrote "we are not proving the various crimes" and found the indictment "lame."
“O problema é que não estamos provando os crimes diversos. Acho capenga” source
source - March 22, 2022. The Fourth Panel of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) ruled, 4 to 1, that Dallagnol must compensate Lula for excess in publicizing the indictment (source not reopened in audit B). source
- 2021. The National Council of the Public Prosecutor's Office (CNMP) dismissed, on statute-of-limitations grounds, Lula's complaint against Dallagnol over the PowerPoint, according to Poder360 (exact date of the dismissal not stated). source
- September 15, 2016. A fact-check records that the viral phrase "we have no proof, but we have conviction" was not literally said at the press conference. source
How they explained it
In the sources consulted, as of October 24, 2026, we did not find a public explanation from Dallagnol about the "lame" message, nor his position on the authenticity of that specific message.
Note
The public statement describes the relationship between evidence and conviction; the message, if authentic, shows internal doubt about part of the thesis. The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) ruling addresses the manner of publicizing the indictment (excess), not the merits of the criminal accusation. None of the sources read attributes to Dallagnol the phrase "we have no proof, but we have conviction."
Sources of the events
According to the CUT (a text by RBA, which cites ConJur), Operation Spoofing messages show that Dallagnol wrote to colleagues, on a date not given on the page read, that "não estamos provando os crimes diversos" ("we are not proving the various crimes") and thought the indictment was "capenga" ("lame").
Source: Vaza Jato: Dallagnol chamou denúncia contra Lula de 'capenga' — CUT (text from Rede Brasil Atual), Mar. 2, 2021 · Third and fourth paragraphs · open original ↗
News report · full text examined · accessed on Oct. 24, 2026
Limitations: Message read only in a union outlet, which cites ConJur; not compared with the original. Authenticity: see the corresponding statement.
On March 22, 2022, the STJ Fourth Panel decided, by 4 votes to 1, that Deltan Dallagnol must compensate Lula for moral damages over the way he presented the indictment at the PowerPoint press conference of September 14, 2016.
Source: STJ condena Deltan Dallagnol a indenizar Lula em R$ 75 mil por PowerPoint — Bem Paraná, Mar. 22, 2022 · First paragraphs · open original ↗
News report · full text examined · accessed on Oct. 24, 2026
Limitations: Amount differs between sources: R$75,000 (Bem Paraná) and "cerca de R$ 100 mil" ("about R$100,000") (Agência PT). Later appeals were not verified.
According to Poder360, the CNMP closed, by statute of limitations, Lula's complaint against Dallagnol over the PowerPoint, after postponing its review more than 40 times.
Source: Deltan Dallagnol, ex-coordenador da Lava Jato, deixa o MPF — Poder360, Nov. 4, 2021 · Last paragraph · open original ↗
News report · full text examined · accessed on Oct. 24, 2026
Limitations: Exact date of the closing not provided in the article; CNMP decision not opened.
According to a fact-check reproduced by InfoMoney (from G1), the phrase "não temos prova, mas temos convicção" ("we have no proof, but we have conviction") was not said literally at the September 14, 2016 press conference: it combined statements by Dallagnol (about "convicção") and by Roberson Pozzobon (about "provas cabais", or conclusive proof, regarding the formal ownership of the apartment).
Source: Não, o procurador da Lava Jato não disse: "não temos prova, mas temos convicção" — InfoMoney, Sept. 15, 2016 · Body of the article · open original ↗
News report · full text examined · accessed on Oct. 24, 2026
Limitations: G1's original analysis was not opened. The fact-check does not assess whether or not the indictment was well supported by evidence.