STJ orders the PF to investigate the accusation involving Cláudio Castro – 04/18/2023 – Power

The Minister of the STJ (Superior Court of Justice) Raul Araújo ordered the PF to investigate information brought by a whistleblower who allegedly received bribes from the governor of Rio, Cláudio Castro (PL), while he was councilor and vice-governor.

The decision gives a period of three months for the Federal Police to investigate the accusations of corruption raised by Marcus Vinícius Azevedo da Silva – businessman and former adviser to Castro. The request came from the PGR (Attorney General of the Republic).

The suspects are crimes of fraud in bids, criminal organization, active and passive corruption, money laundering and embezzlement (embezzlement of public money).

In the statement, given to the Rio Public Ministry in July 2022 and reported by UOL in September, Marcus Vinícius says that Castro received bribes abroad — US$ 20,000 for a trip with his family to Orlando, Florida, where parks of the Disney.

The former adviser corroborated claims by another whistleblower that Castro, at the time he was vice-governor, received bribes in a backpack from a businessman who had a contract with the state.

Now it will be up to the PF to investigate whether there is evidence that corroborates the reports made by the whistleblower.

In a note sent by his advisor, Castro stated that he “regrets that old facts are being rehashed”. “He reiterates that he trusts in Justice, so that the situation is clarified as quickly as possible. The whistleblower was challenged in court for slander and slanderous denunciation and the governor’s defense has already filed a request for the nullity of the accusation due to irregularities in the complaint”, he said. .

The governor also stated that “he is not being denounced or indicted, since the Public Prosecutor’s Office has not found any element capable of linking any irregularity to him”.

Marcus Vinícius was the owner of one of the companies investigated in the Operation Catarata, by the MP-RJ, on suspicion of misappropriation of public resources from social projects of the city hall of the capital and the state government.

The businessman even worked for a few months in the office of Cláudio Castro, in his passage as councilor of the Chamber of Rio.

Marcus Vinícius was arrested in 2019 and was denounced to Justice by the MP-RJ accused of being part of a criminal organization and fraud in bidding. In exchange for a judicial pardon, he signed a first award-winning collaboration agreement in 2020 with the PGR, the content of which remains confidential.

This year, the MP-RJ adhered to this agreement and, in July, took the businessman’s testimony, which was sent to the STJ, after the governor was summoned.

Both to the PGR and to the MP-RJ, the whistleblower sent elements to corroborate his testimonies, such as a notebook, cell phone and computer, which must now be analyzed by the PF.