Brazil: Instigators of Mariel Franco's murder fall | 3 people who allegedly masterminded the councilor's crime were arrested

From St. Paul

Instigators Mariel's murder. A federal deputy, Rio de Janeiro's former police chief and an official linked to the governorate were arrested. Accused of being the intellectual authors of the murder Councilor Mariel Franco A member of the Party of Socialism and Freedom (Psol), he emerged as a social activist in a favela, where he gained fame for denouncing paramilitary “militants” and rejecting the intervention of the armed forces.

Six years and ten days after the most sensational political assassination of the last decade, perpetrated by those members “Militants” have historically been linked to Jair Bolsonaro Federal Police (PF) agents this Sunday arrested Squinho Brasão, a member of the right-wing group Union Brasil, retired commissioner Rivaldo Barbosa, and Domingos Brasão, a member of the Rio Court of Accounts.

All three were betrayed by ex-police officer Ronnie Lesa. One of the best paid attackers in the country and admitted author of the attack It claimed the lives of Mariel and her driver Anderson Gomez.

On the night of March 14, 2018, Lessa was traveling in a car driven by Elcio de Queiroz, which collided with a vehicle carrying Mariel and her assistant in the city center. Interestingly, there were no police patrols or security cameras to capture the murders with a machine gun filled with ammunition stolen from the police armory in that busy area.

The result was a lack of results in investigations into the attack Commissioner Barboza deliberately obstructs the investigation. He was arrested this Sunday.

Barbosa was appointed by General Walter Sosa Braga NetoHe was the military controller of Rio in 2018. This is a military man closely associated with Bolsonaro, as will be reported throughout this article.

Federalism of the case

Although the process at the Supreme Federal Court (STF) has only just begun, since 2018 the case can already be said to have made more progress than when it was under Rio's jurisdiction.

This progress began in mid-2023 President Lula set aside the local security forces and decided on the participation of the Federal Police in the investigations.

Surprise move

In this Sunday's “Murder Inc” operation, three suspects were arrested – they were to be transferred to a federal prison in Brasilia – and twelve raids were conducted.

One was at the office of the Rio Investigative Police, another at the office of Congressional Deputy Brasao in Brasilia, and the third at the home of another commissioner.

The move caught members of this “criminal organization” by surprise, as described by the STF, and a large section of the media who did not expect such a deployment of men and equipment on Sunday morning: according to police sources. The date and time were decided because of information about the risk of a spill abroad.

“Near Justice”

Annele Franco, sister of the murdered councillor, celebrated the arrest of the alleged masterminds of the crime.

“Only God knows how much we dream of this day. A big step has been taken today to reach the answer we have been searching for all these years. We are close to justice. A great day”.

Aniel heads the Ministry of Racial Equality Since January of last year, Lula appointed him as part of a political decision that, on the one hand, approved the passage of the Franco family in Rio and, on the other hand, instructed the Ministry of Justice to go deeper into the investigations.

For his part, the Minister of Justice and Public Security, former STF bail judge Ricardo Lewandowski, highlighted this during a press conference. The “overtly political” nature of the double murder.

The results achieved represented a “victory” for the rule of law to harm organized crime, he opined.

Movie story

The brutal attack against Mariel brings us to one of the highest grossing films of recent years, Elite Troop II.

The film tells how the Rio “militants” operate, especially in the western part of the capital – based in the jailed deputy Brasao – from where the murders and intimidation of uncomfortable politicians are ordered in their interests.

One character in the movie is the brave deputy Diogo Braga, who complains to the legislature that the militants are targeting.

The character Braga is a fictional version Deputy Marcelo Freixo commanded the parliamentary investigation committee in 2008 when he had Mariel Franco as his right-hand man. (CBI) “Fighters”, Names of many paramilitary bosses were identified in it.

Freixo announced this Sunday that Marielle's work at the commission was “fundamental, she is an extraordinary woman, a winner, which is why she was elected councilor after so many years”.

“If Mariel bothered them when she worked with me, she bothered them even more with her complaints” in the municipal assembly during the year of the administration until they killed her.

“Mariel knew the militants well, and I received the news that the possible perpetrators of his murder had been arrested, and I received it with a mixture of relief and anger. It's been more than six years, too long,” said Freixo, now a national government official.

What is missing?

According to Freixo, who killed Mariel is just as important as who ordered the attack and who committed himself to obstructing the investigation by delays or “running” false leads.

Remember that “I called” on the night of March 14, 2018, the then police chief Barboza who was jailed this Sunday to inform the councilor and his assistant what happened. The commissioner was appointed on 17 March of that year by General Braga Neto, the all-powerful governor of the province and directly responsible for the security forces and intelligence services.

Everything was done to ensure that the case did not go unpunished: every time a commissioner made progress he was detached from the case. “Five Commissioners” left the scene in 2018.

General Braga Neto

After his work as Rio de Janeiro's interlocutor ended, with no progress in Mariel's case, General Braga Neto was invited by Jair Bolsonaro to join the cabinet in 2019. One of the most powerful men in the government, the general occupied everything from the defense ministry to the chief of staff.

Finally, Bolsonaro chose him as his running mate, according to a formula where he ran for a second term in the October 2022 elections, won by Lula.

Lindbergh Farias, Rio's federal representative of the Workers' Party, believes the STF's work cannot be completed.

Understand that it's time to put up Magnifying Glass in General Braga Neto, He is suspected of wrongdoing in Mariel's murder.