Former Rio de Janeiro governor charged with health misconduct

The decision was made by Judge Caroline Figueiredo, of the Seventh Federal Criminal Court of Rio de Janeiro.

The accused include the wife of the former governor, Helena Wetzel, the former Minister of Health of Rio de Janeiro Edmar Santos, the former Minister of Economic Development Lucas Tristão, and the head of the Christian Social Party (PSC), Everaldo Dias Pereira. , better known as Reverend Everaldo.

The Attorney General’s office accused the former governor of being the “main leader of the criminal organization” that diverted public resources through the irregular employment of social organizations in the health field and their laundering in the law firm of Helena Wetzel.

Judge Caroline Figueiredo also assessed this Prosecution “clearly disclosed criminal facts and circumstances”.

In addition, he noted, the authorship and material significance of the crimes that, in theory, the accused would have committed, are limited in scope. In this way, there is just cause for the criminal case to continue, as the judge confirmed in the decision.

According to PGR, Three cores of corruption were created in Rio de Janeiro: an administrative core formed by state managers; economic, business and lobbyists; The politician, led by Wilson Wetzel.

In February of this year, Wetzel, who had been removed as governor, already became a defendant in another case, in the Supreme Court of Justice (STJ). In the lawsuit, which stems from Operation Tris in Idem, the former governor faces charges of corruption and money laundering.

The former Governor of Fluminense was formally removed from office in April, for the crime of liability, due to his alleged involvement in fraud in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The discovery of the alleged criminal scheme began with an investigation of irregularities in the employment of field hospitals, ventilators and medicines to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic in Rio de Janeiro.

Witzel, a former judge and former ally of President Jair Bolsonaro, was elected governor of Rio de Janeiro in 2018 by the Christian Social Party (PSC).