The Justice of Espírito Santo denied, last Wednesday (19), the request for freedom of Eduardo Barbosa de Oliveira, 43, and Paloma Duarte Tolentino, 29, accused of stealing $ 1.5 million from a Banco do Brasil branch in Vitória. The decision, signed by Judge Daniel Peçanha Moreira, also rejected the request for house arrest made by the defense of Paloma.
The couple was arrested in November 2024 in Rio Grande do Sul while trying to escape to Uruguay. Eduardo, who had worked at the bank for 12 years, was manager and treasurer of the institution and, according to the investigation, used his privileged access to remove pouches of money from the agency’s safe. Security images recorded the moment he left the bank carrying the amounts.
The investigation began after another manager of the agency strange the disappearance of Eduardo, who did not attend work after theft. The suspicions increased when a large amount of money was found to be missing.
According to the Civil Police, the couple fled in a vehicle acquired by Paloma on the day of the crime. For the purchase of the vehicle, she deposited $ 74,000 at the dealership, which would have been passed on by Eduardo before the money from the safe.
From this information, the police identified the car and called the Federal Highway Police (PRF), which arrested the suspects on BR-158, in the city of Santa Maria (RS), already on the border with Uruguay.
At the time of the approach, Paloma would have confessed that the money was in the trunk of the vehicle. The couple had already emptied the property where they lived and prepared to leave the country. In addition, Eduardo passed R $ 20,000 to his ex-wife, claiming to be payment of a debt regarding a car that they had both previously purchased.
Judicial decision
In denying requests for freedom, the judge understood that there was sufficient evidence of the couple’s participation in the crime, justifying the maintenance of pre -trial detention to guarantee public order and avoid escape.
Paloma’s defense also asked her to comply with house arrest on the grounds of being the mother of two young children. However, the request was denied, as the daughters are under the father’s care. The court also pointed out that, by fleeing with his partner, Paloma left the children behind, showing the absence of bond that justified the granting of the benefit.
The court marked the case of instruction and trial of the case for April 15, 2025, at 1:30 pm, at the Vitória Criminal Forum. Banco do Brasil was summoned to provide recordings of the agency to assist in the process.
Defendants are arrested in a prison unit in Rio Grande do Sul and can be responsible for qualified theft, criminal association and money laundering.
