RIO – Appointed Secretary of Public Security of Rio de Janeiro by the then intervener in the area in the State in 2018, General Walter Braga Netto, General Richard Nunes, future Chief of Staff of the Army, says that he is responsible for the appointment of delegate Rivaldo Barbosa , arrested accused of planning the death of Marielle Franco, as head of the Civil Police during the federal intervention is his “and no one else’s”. The version of the four-star Army general contradicts the final report of the Federal Police (PF) on the murder of the councilor, which states that Rivaldo held the post due to “political interference”.
In an interview with Estadão, Richard Nunes says he is surprised by Rivaldo Barbosa’s alleged involvement in the murder of Marielle and driver Anderson Gomes. He was appointed head of the Civil Police the day before the parliamentarian’s death. According to the general, Rivaldo had “a very considerable service record” and was considered “a respected name that was very well accepted by all of society” at the time.
“It’s surprising. Really, it’s a completely absurd thing from what we’re following. I consider myself as surprised as anyone else because during the entire period I was in charge of the secretariat, something like this would never have crossed my mind. If all this is confirmed, if this accusation was confirmed, it would leave us perplexed. In relation to what has been said about my name, about Rivaldo’s appointment, this is what I have already said, clearly: it is my responsibility, no one else’s”, stated Richard Nunes.
The suggestion of Rivaldo Barbosa as head of the Civil Police was made by the intelligence sector of the Eastern Military Command (CML) in a list of five names. The organization had been commanded since 2016 by Braga Netto, who remained in the post until 2019. As head of the CML, he was appointed intervenor in Rio’s security by then president Michel Temer (MDB), for the period between February and December 2018.
At first, Rivaldo was not Nunes’ first option for the position. The general’s priority was to appoint delegate Delmir Gouvea to the position. The two worked together during a pacification operation in Complexo da Maré, between 2014 and 2015. But Gouvea did not accept the invitation.
Without a personal option, Richard Nunes turned to the CML’s list of nominations. The general states that the Undersecretariat of Intelligence, an agency of the Rio Public Security Secretariat, “contraindicated Rivaldo’s name”, but he maintained the nomination given the history of services provided by the delegate.
“Rivaldo was the head of the homicide division of the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police. A delegate who had, perhaps, the greatest visibility among Civil Police delegates and a very considerable service record. A respected name that was very well accepted by all of society. So, at the time, that’s what I had. He accepted the invitation and fulfilled his mission. He was so respected that he was respected by Marielle’s family, who he knew, and by Marcelo Freixo himself. What’s more, there’s a lot of speculation, a lot of things that don’t make sense. It’s trying to want to wear a 2024 outfit in 2018,” he says.
Braga Netto’s lawyers claim that he had no interference in the definition of the Civil Police and that the general did not ask for or seek suggestions from CML intelligence regarding possible nominees. “The general had no interference in the appointment of this delegate. It fell exclusively to the Security Secretariat. Regarding the fact that there was a search of the CML’s intelligence, this search was not carried out by General Braga Netto nor at the request of General Braga Netto. I repeat: he had no interference”.
The intelligence department headed by Richard Nunes contraindicated Rivaldo Barbosa. The general assessed that the reservations were not “based on objective data” and supported the appointment of the delegate to command the Civil Police. At the conclusion of the investigation, the police pointed out the “passive management of the military at the head of Public Security in Rio de Janeiro”, the “lack of skill in handling the vicissitudes of the power game in Rio de Janeiro” and the “maintenance of Rivaldo even after the contraindication ” as factors that indicate Richard Nunes’ management in appointing the delegate.
“It’s an absolutely normal choice. Speculation began that I had not listened to one intelligence contraindication. There is no such thing. A contraindication to intelligence normally exists when we are faced with a list of names, and we have some data that is presented. ‘Oh, this one has this, it has that’, but this is a fact to be considered. It is not a ready, finished investigation, where we can commit the injustice of considering it as something concrete and, from that, harm a person”, says Nunes about Rivaldo’s contraindication for the position.
For the general, Rivaldo’s choice was “the result of criteria” that he established and that, now, “you can’t want to go back in time”.
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“I had a decision to make within a short period of time. I couldn’t wait for something like the one that had been presented to be clarified. It wasn’t so much that it only happened now. This thing about taking responsibility is up to me. I always assumed it at that moment and I continue to do so now. I was the one who nominated Rivaldo. I did not suffer any interference. It was a decision based on criteria I established. Now, after everything happened… look, now is another time, now is another time. No, I can’t keep wanting to go back in time with what I know now”, he says.
Motivation for Marielle’s murder
In December 2018, in an interview with Estadão, Richard Nunes stated that Marielle was killed because militiamen believed that she could disrupt business linked to land grabbing of land in the west zone of the city. At the time, the investigation into the case was still in its infancy. The executioners Ronnie Lessa and Élcio Queiroz had not even been arrested.
Nunes revealed that the crime had been planned since 2017, long before the federal government decided to enact federal intervention in Rio. Six years after the crime, the general says that he had assumptions about what he considered “a very plausible path”.
“I already had some assumptions based on what was presented that this was a very plausible path, that it was through this type of involvement (land regularization). It’s not so definitive, but it was plausible at that time. Now these things have come to light. From then on, I never had contact again because I left the intervention. It was an indication, as was the fact when Giniton arrested the two perpetrators”, he says.
Deputy Giniton Lages was assigned to investigate the murder of Marielle Franco at the Capital Homicide Police Station. He was the target of a search and seizure carried out by the PF this Sunday, the 24th, for “disrupting” the investigations. He was also removed from the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro by order of the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes.
Giniton released a statement early this Sunday evening. He states that while he led the investigation, he took all measures to resolve the case “in its integrity”, which, according to him, was only possible because he was removed from the case the day after the arrests of Ronnie Lessa, the shooter, and Élcio de Queiroz., who drove the vehicle used in the execution. Hours after the crime in March 2018, Lages was appointed by Rivaldo Barbosa to lead the investigation. According to the PGR, both he and the commissioner acted after the murder to “embarrass the investigations” and protect the real masterminds.
Tags: General contradicts appointment Rio Police chief political interference
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