Two prominent politicians and Rio de Janeiro’s former police chief have been arrested as part of a federal police operation targeting the alleged mastermind of the 2018 assassination of Rio city councilor Mariel Franco.
The operation, dubbed Murder, Inc., began at dawn Sunday, just over six years after the shooting deaths of Franco and his driver Anderson Gomez, which sparked an international outcry.
According to Brazilian media reports, three prominent figures were arrested. His older brother Domingos Brazan, a former state lawmaker, is a member of Rio’s Board of Auditors. Former Rio Civil Police Chief Rivaldo Barbosa.
The Brazan brothers have long faced allegations of involvement in organized crime, allegations they deny. In the 1980s, men reportedly They are known in Rio as “Irmaos Metralla” (Beagle Boys), named after the Disney cartoon villain.
As news of the arrest broke, Marcelo Frecho, a prominent left-wing politician close to Franco, tweeted, “Today’s arrest of the Brazan brothers and Rio’s former police chief makes it clear who carried out this murder and who ordered it. And now it’s clear who failed.” To find out. ”
Renata Souza, a lawmaker and friend of President Franco, said the arrest was a “very important step”. “The Brazilian state and judicial system owe society an explanation. After six years of such pain and sorrow, today we are closer to getting the answers we need,” Sousa said. tweeted.
Franco’s family said in a statement: “Today is a historic day for Brazilian democracy and an important step in the pursuit of justice. We cannot take back our Mali, but we are one step closer to the answers we so desperately need. It’s getting closer.”
Franco, Member of Parliament for Socialism and Freedom, 38 years old The party-goer was shot on the night of March 14, 2018, while walking home from an event. During his short political career, the favela-born gay black activist had earned a reputation as a courageous defender of Brazil’s minorities and an outspoken campaigner against police brutality.
Six years after the assassination, the killer, Ronnie Ressa, a former police officer who confessed to pulling the trigger, is in prison awaiting trial. However, so far, the criminal mastermind has not been caught and his motives remain a mystery.
question, “Kuem mandu matar mariel?” (“Who ordered Mariel’s murder?”) has become the rallying cry of Brazilian leftists at demonstrations and on social media, but the question has remained unanswered for years.
The election of leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2022 has breathed new life into the apparently stalled quest to catch Franco’s killers. Lula vowed to fight “tirelessly” to bring the ringleaders to justice and, in a highly symbolic move, appointed Franco’s sister Aniel Franco as minister for racial equality.
On Sunday, Aniel Franco thanked Lula’s government and the federal police for a “great day.”
“God only knows how much we have dreamed of this day. Today we will answer the question we have asked so many times over the past few years: Who killed Mali and why? This is another big step toward answering the question, “Did you do that?” Franco tweeted.
Sunday’s arrest appears to be the result of a plea deal Ressa recently struck with investigators, in which he agreed to name the ringleaders in exchange for a reduced sentence and other benefits.
It was not immediately clear what role the Brazan brothers, who built their political careers in Rio’s Western-controlled militias, and Mr. Barbosa, a former police chief, were alleged to have played. However, according to local reports, Ressa accused Barbosa of giving the go-ahead for the murder and assuring his masterminds that they would not be caught.
The revelation that Rio’s top cop may have been involved in one of the most infamous crimes in the city’s history has stunned friends and relatives of the slain politician.Days after the murder, Barbosa confident reporter“We cannot rest until this case is resolved.”
He was arrested Sunday morning at his home in an apartment complex west of Rio. The wife of a former police chief has reportedly had his assets frozen over suspicions of involvement in money laundering.
Aniel Franco broke down in tears as news of Barboza’s possible involvement was broadcast live on Brazilian television. “They murdered my sister, but we will not fall apart…We are here, and we will remain here, defending Mariel’s legacy.”
Franco’s widow, Monica Benicio, expressed outrage at the former police chief’s alleged involvement. “This is not just a betrayal, but an attack on democracy itself. And unfortunately, this case reveals a lot about Rio de Janeiro’s politics and the connections between the police and the underworld,” she told reporters. Told.
Asked if he now feared for his life given the power of organized crime in Rio, Benicio said the pain of the murder had given the victims’ families irresistible courage. “Nothing will defeat Mariel and Anderson’s fight for justice,” she vowed.
After police arrested him early Sunday morning, Lula’s former justice minister and Supreme Court judge Flavio Dino tweeted an excerpt from Psalm 92. All the wicked will prosper, and they will be destroyed forever. ”
Domingos Brazan’s lawyer, Ubiratan Guedes, denied that his client was involved in the murder and expressed surprise at his arrest. “He didn’t know Mariel. He had no relationship with Mariel, so now it’s up to his defense to prove his innocence,” Guedes told reporters. Told.barbosa’s lawyer reportedly Rio’s former police chief refused to answer questions when he arrived at federal police headquarters where he was being held.
