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🇧🇷 Brazil /Crime & Justice

Caiado, Renan and Zema praise removal of Brazil’s federal police chief

From Folha de S.Paulo · () Portuguese

Translated from Portuguese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Presidential candidates Renan Santos, Romeu Zema and Ronaldo Caiado praised the removal of Federal Police chief Andrei Rodrigues, ordered by Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça.
  • The decision followed a Federal Police report that Mendonça said targeted him and Attorney General Jorge Messias, and that Alexandre de Moraes used to request an investigation into Mendonça.
  • The case is before the Supreme Court’s Second Panel, where a majority has backed Rodrigues’ removal, although Justice Gilmar Mendes requested more time to review it.

Three presidential hopefuls welcomed the removal of Brazil’s Federal Police chief, but each used the decision to advance a different political argument.

firm and courageous decision

· Ronaldo CaiadoCaiado praised Justice André Mendonça’s decision to remove Federal Police chief Andrei Rodrigues.

Ronaldo Caiado of the PSD was the only one to name Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça directly. In a post on X, Caiado praised what he called a “firm and courageous decision” and said state institutions must act with complete impartiality and strict respect for the Constitution. Brazil, he wrote, needs a firm stance from the Supreme Court and every other institution in the country.

Romeu Zema, of Novo, said the decision followed a request made by his party over references to Andrei Rodrigues found on the cellphone of Daniel Vorcaro, the former owner of Banco Master. “We achieved the removal of the Federal Police chief,” Zema wrote. “While many talk, we act.”

We achieved the removal of the Federal Police chief

· Romeu ZemaZema said the decision followed a request by his Novo party.

Renan Santos, the Missão candidate and leader of the Brazil Free Movement, celebrated Rodrigues’ fall in a video shared by his team on WhatsApp. He criticized both Bolsonaro supporters and Lula supporters for their reactions, arguing that neither polarized camp had a genuine desire to change Brazil. He said Bolsonaro supporters should also question candidates linked to Vorcaro, while Lula supporters should examine the president’s alleged relationship to the case.

While many talk, we act

· Romeu ZemaZema used the removal to contrast his party’s actions with other politicians’ statements.

Rodrigues was removed after the Federal Police produced an internal report that Justice Alexandre de Moraes used to seek an investigation into Mendonça for abuse of authority, administrative misconduct and a crime of responsibility in handling the Banco Master and INSS cases. Mendonça called the material “surreal and unimaginable” and said it showed that he and Attorney General Jorge Messias had been monitored by the police for at least 30 days this year. The Supreme Court’s Second Panel has already formed a majority in favor of the removal after Luiz Fux and Nunes Marques announced their votes. Gilmar Mendes requested more time to examine the case.

Obviously I am happy about his fall

· Renan SantosRenan celebrated Rodrigues’ removal while criticizing reactions from Bolsonaro supporters and Lula supporters.
About this summary

Originally published by Folha de S.Paulo in Portuguese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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