A complaint made against the former mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Crivella (Republicans), was accepted by the Electoral Justice last Monday (13). As a result, Crivella and the other 25 accused become defendants for the crime of electoral ideological falsehood, the “caixa 2”, in addition to the common crimes of corruption, money laundering and criminal organization.
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The complaint was in the case that became known as “QG da Propina”, which became public two years ago, when Crivella was still mayor of Rio. The politician was arrested nine days before the end of his term, on December 22, 2020, and was accused of leading a criminal organization, which had businessman Rafael Alves – appointed as his “man of confidence” – as the main negotiator of public contracts .
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, even without a position in Rio’s City Hall, Rafael Alves had a room at the headquarters of Riotur, the city’s tourism company, and traded from there. The defense of businessman Rafael Alves has not publicly manifested itself.
Crivella’s defense, in response to the portal G1said that “the Electoral Public Ministry itself stated two years ago, there is no evidence against the former mayor that would justify a criminal prosecution”. The note also says that “the defense believes that the filing should be maintained”.
Still according to the portal G1, the prosecutors pointed out that the criminal organization was installed in the City Hall of Rio with the purpose of enticing businessmen into the most varied corruption schemes, with a focus on collecting bribes, through promises of receiving a kind of “preferential treatment” in contracts with the municipal administration. The MP claims that the gang turned the public office into a “Propination HQ”, and collected more than R$ 50 million.
Filed
In the last two years, the process was between the common Justice and the Electoral Justice and did not advance. So far, no hearing has been scheduled and no witnesses have been heard.
Until the Federal Supreme Court (STF) decided that the case should proceed with the Electoral Justice. Upon accepting the complaint, Judge Marcel Laguna Duque Estrada, from the 16th Electoral District of Rio, determined that the defendants be summoned to present their defenses within a period of 10 days.
Source: BdF Rio de Janeiro
Editing: Mariana Pitasse
