After being arrested, Mayor Marcelo Crivella speaks of “political persecution” and says he hopes for “justice” | Rio de Janeiro

“I fought against illegal tolls, I took resources from the carnival, I negotiated the VLT, I was the government that acted the most against corruption in Rio de Janeiro,” said Crivella. Asked about his expectations now, the mayor limited himself to answering: “justice.”

• Mayor Marcelo Crivella is arrested in police operation and MPRJ

The mayor was arrested at his home, in Barra da Tijuca, West Zone of the city. From there he was transferred by the Fazendária Police Station, in the Police City, around 6:30 am.

Upon arriving at the police station, defense attorney Alberto Sampaio said that Crivella was surprised by the arrest and caught him in his pajamas at home, as he had just woken up. The lawyer, however, refused to record a press interview.

Crivella was jailed 9 days after the end of his term. As the Deputy Mayor Fernando Mac Dowell passed away in 2018, who has taken charge of the City of Rio in recent days is Jorge Felippe (DEM), President of the Rio City Council.

Also participating in the action were businessman Rafael Alves, delegate Fernando Moraes, former Crivella campaign treasurer, Mauro Macedo, as well as businessmen Adenor Gonçalves dos Santos and Cristiano Stockler Campos, from the insurance area.

The objective of the operation is also former senator Eduardo Lopes, who, however, was not found at his home.

All the prisoners will be submitted to a custody hearing at 3:00 p.m. in the Court of Justice, to evaluate the legality of the procedure, as determined by the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Edson Fachin.

The action is an offshoot of Operation Hades, which investigates an alleged ‘Bribery Headquarters’ at Rio City Hall.

The investigation began in 2018, based on the allegation of the money changer Sergio Mizrahy, who admitted to being responsible for money laundering of what the investigators call a criminal organization that operated within the mayor’s office.

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The head of this organization, according to the complainant, would be the businessman Rafael Alves, who did not have an office in the City Council, but who worked at the Cidade das Artes, in a room next to his brother Marcelo Alves, who was president of Riotur.

In some messages, Rafael Alves even said that he made Riotur’s brother president, and that he was the owner of the “pen”, because he gave the orders in the mayor of Rio, making the appointment of whoever he wanted to the positions and choosing the companies what they were going to do. contracts with the city council. From this influence would arise bribery and extortion of businessmen who wanted to make contracts with the city.

The orders are executed by the Coordination of Investigation of Agents with Headquarters (CIAF) of the Civil Police and Gaocrim, of the MPRJ. The decision is made by Judge Rosa Helena Penna Macedo Guita.

According to the investigations, the companies interested in closing contracts or having money to receive from the municipality would deliver the checks to Rafael Alves, brother of Marcelo Alves, then president of Riotur.

In addition to the Metropolitan Region of Rio, one of the raids is carried out in Porto do Frade, in Angra dos Reis, in the South Fluminense, to apprehend a 25-meter boat belonging to Rafael Alves.

Eduardo Lopes was Senator from Rio for the Republicans, when he inherited the position of Crivella, and was Secretary of Livestock, Fisheries and Supplies of the absent Governor Wilson Witzel.

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