Lieutenant-colonel arrested for involvement with armed militia in western Bahia
Luiz Augusto Normanha de Carvalho was detained preventively in Santa Maria da Vitória in the third phase of MPBA's Operation Terra Justa.
Police officer arrested for connection to militia that expelled communities from land in Bahia
Lieutenant-colonel Luiz Augusto Normanha de Carvalho was arrested preventively on Wednesday (7) in Santa Maria da Vitória, in western Bahia. According to cnnbrasil.com.br, the arrest occurred during the third phase of Operation Terra Justa, launched by the MPBA (Bahia Public Prosecutor's Office), on suspicion of involvement with an armed militia in the region.
The military police officer, who currently serves as director of the Military Police School in Bom Jesus da Lapa, was charged with passive military corruption as part of the investigation.
According to the charge, Normanha collaborated with the functioning of the criminal organisation and received R$ 286 thousand from Carlos Erlani Gonçalves Santos, a reserve sergeant who headed the group. The payments included monthly deposits of R$ 15 thousand into accounts belonging to the defendant and payment of university fees for the police officer's daughter. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the transfers were intended to ensure that the officer would shirk his functional duty to combat the militia.
Within the scheme, the lieutenant-colonel was responsible for setting up the rosters of armed security guards in a private security service contracted by land grabbers who threatened and expelled traditional communities from their lands in the Correntina region.
Sergeant Santos led the organisation for approximately 10 years and has already been convicted of illegal activity. There is evidence that Normanha used his influence and position to offer irregular armed security services to a farmer in the region following Santos's arrest.
The PMBA (Bahia Military Police) was contacted for clarification, but has not yet commented. The defence representatives of those mentioned have also not been located at this time.
Source: Google News BR — Crime