Three candidates suspected of organised crime links elected in Rio and São Paulo
Two federal deputies and one state deputy elected in Rio and São Paulo are among 30 candidates questioned by the Electoral Justice for suspected links with organised crime.
Three candidates suspected of links to organised crime win elections in Rio and São Paulo
According to www1.folha.uol.com.br, three candidates who were questioned by the Electoral General Prosecutor's Office or by the Electoral Justice for suspected links with organised crime managed to be elected in this year's elections — two as federal deputies and one as state deputy. The three are part of a list of 30 candidates from across the country who had their registrations contested due to these suspicions.
Ney Santos elected federal deputy for São Paulo
Former mayor of Embu das Artes (SP) Ney Santos, from the Republicanos party, obtained 118.5 thousand votes and won a seat in the Chamber of Deputies. Santos was the target of investigation by the Civil Police and the Public Prosecutor's Office of São Paulo for suspected links with the PCC (First Command of the Capital) in an alleged money-laundering scheme involving drug trafficking at petrol stations.
In 2016, Santos went into hiding after an arrest warrant was issued against him. The defence claims that the MP-SP attempts to link the former mayor to the faction "in a reckless manner" and that "all imputations made by the Public Prosecutor's Office were investigated exhaustively and, in the end, due to a complete absence of evidence, the Judiciary always recognised his innocence".
When approached, Santos described the accusations as "reheated nonsense" and stated that the investigations, initiated in 2010, were archived by judicial order without any evidence linking him to the criminal organisation.
Rueda and Canella make a sweep in Rio de Janeiro
Antonio Rueda, from the União Brasil-RJ party, was elected federal deputy with 155.8 thousand votes after conducting a joint campaign with Márcio Canella, also from União Brasil-RJ. Canella, former mayor of Belford Roxo, was elected state deputy to the Alerj (Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro) with 197.1 thousand votes, coming in second only to Índia Armelau (PL) in the state.
Canella received support from two convicted militia members who were appointed municipal secretaries of Belford Roxo during his term — the appointments were made even after a court decision that linked them to organised crime. The defence claims that Canella dismissed the employees after a final decision, respecting their right to defence, and that the former mayor fought criminal factions during his term.
In July, Canella was arrested in flagrante after the Federal Police found a rifle in his car. He was released days later by order of Supreme Court minister Alexandre de Moraes, who demanded explanations about the weapon and ordered the use of an electronic ankle monitor. The defence maintains that the weapon belonged to a police officer from the former mayor's security detail.
When questioned, Canella called the accusations of links to militia members "madness" and stated that during his term as deputy he approved a legislative recommendation to create police stations to combat militias. "That's opposition trying to spread this around to taint my image. And another thing, my greatest defence is the people of my city," he said. "I am threatened by militia members, I am threatened by drug traffickers because of the work I do. The rest is all lies and idle talk," he continued.
Rueda's lawyer stated that his client, who also chairs the União Brasil at the national level, cannot be expected to know all the allies of candidates with whom he campaigns "jointly" and classified the case as a "subcontracting" of responsibility. Rueda's office informed that the Regional Electoral Court of Rio de Janeiro dismissed, unanimously, the accusations on 22 September.
Before candidate registration, in February, Canella's name had been considered by senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), a candidate for President of the Republic, as a possible Senate candidate based on his alliance in Rio de Janeiro. The candidates elected to represent the state in the Senate were Carlos Portinho and Carlos Jordy, both from the PL.
Two others become alternates
Among the 30 candidates on the list, two other candidates with authorised registrations became alternates. Junior da Lucinha (PSD-RJ) — son of state deputy Lucinha (PSD), investigated for alleged links to a militia in the west zone of Rio — obtained 25.8 thousand votes for the Alerj. Jerson Domingos (União Brasil-MS), prosecuted in a criminal action against a numbers-game gang, was chosen by 16.8 thousand voters.
The remaining 25 politicians on the list, who were not elected, received a combined total of more than 1 million votes. The exception was Pastor Everaldo (Podemos-RJ), who received no votes as he did not run directly — his Senate slate, alongside his brother Marcos Dias (Podemos), was initially rejected by the TRE-RJ and later approved with replacement by Rafael JJ (Podemos).
The registrations of Ney Santos, Rueda and Canella were all authorised by the Electoral Justice before the election.
Source: Google News BR — Crime