‘I love you.’ “I’m your fan.” “I miss talking to you, okay? They look like messages from lovers – or, come on, childhood friends. But these are dialogues between the president of the Legislative Assembly of Rio and a judge of the Regional Federal Court.
Deputy Rodrigo Bacellar was sent to chess two weeks ago, as part of an investigation into the infiltration of criminal factions into Rio de Janeiro politics. Yesterday it was the turn of Judge Macário Ramos Júdice Neto, also arrested by order of the Supreme Court.
For the Federal Police, the “effusive declarations of affection” denounce the intimacy between the parliamentarian and the magistrate. The two men were dining together when Bacellar warned his colleague TH Joias, accused of trading arms for the Red Command, that he would be the target of a police operation. The action was authorized by Judge Neto, who then tried to shift responsibility for the leak to the civil police.
At another point, the judge turned to the president of Alerj looking for tickets to the Maracanã. “Whenever you need me, I’m here for any stop, especially in bad times,” replied a helpful Bacellar, offending decorum and language in the same sentence.
The PF accuses Júdice Neto of four crimes: obstructing the investigation, violation of functional secrecy, personal favoritism and promotion of a criminal organization. The defense complained about this “extreme measure” and claimed that Minister Alexandre de Moraes had been “misled” during his arrest.
The judge had already been removed from office for 18 years, suspected of participating in a system of selling sentences. Acquitted, he returned to his position and was promoted by seniority to the TRF. His wife was hanged in Alerj by his friend Bacellar. Last week, the MP returned home thanks to the corporatism of his colleagues, who voted to release him from prison.
The deputy and the judge were prosecuted as part of the ADPF das Favelas, responsible for investigating abuses committed in police operations. Pulling out a feather, the Supreme found a goose with golden eggs. The group that dominates Rio politics staged an uprising against the action, accusing its perpetrators of protecting criminals. It is now becoming clearer that these cries had other reasons.
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