Paulo Henrique Costa was arrested on the 16th, during the 4th phase of Operation Compliance Zero
The defense of the former president of the Bank of Brasília (BRB) Paulo Henrique Costa informed the Federal Supreme Court (STF) that he intends to sign a plea bargain agreement and asked transfer of the Papuda Penitentiary Complex.
In the decision sent to Minister André Mendonça, lawyers argue that the current prison does not offer safety conditions e secrecy necessary for negotiations with the authorities.
In the document, the defense claims that the prison architecture and the reserved space monitoring meetings (parliamentary) make negotiations impossible. According to them, in the current environment “it is not possible to discuss possible criminal facts efficiently” nor “to handle sources of evidence”, which hinders the formulation of the collaboration proposal.
The defense also argues that Paulo Henrique Costa is Reserve officer of the Armed Forces with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. Under military law and the Code of Criminal Procedure, this rank guarantees the right of the person being investigated to serve preventive detention in a special location, the so-called General Staff Room.
Prison maintained by the STF
The signaling of a possible denunciation and the request for Papuda’s departure occur shortly after the Second Panel of the STF of the former president of BRB. The case rapporteur, minister André Mendonça, was accompanied by Luiz Fux e Kassio Nunes Brands in the decision.
Paulo Henrique Costa is, when was he target of the 4th phase of Operation Compliance Zerofrom the Federal Police (PF). He is investigated by a alleged bribery scheme — which would have been made possible through the purchase of properties — during negotiations for the acquisition of Banco Master by BRB. Furthermore, there are suspicions regarding the purchase of fraudulent wallets offered by the bank.
Paulo Henrique Costa had assumed the presidency of the state bank in 2019, for appointment by governor Ibaneis Rocha (MDB), and remained in post until removed by court decision in November last year, during the initial phases of the operation.
