Electoral claims that there is a lack of sufficient evidence to point to the link between the election for the Mayor of (PB) in 2024, when the ticket led by Cícero Lucena was elected, then in and currently in .
The statements were made this Monday (27) at the TRE (Regional Electoral Court of Paraíba), in a session in which the trial of electoral actions as a result of the , which investigated suspicions of violent solicitation of voters by the Nova Okaida faction, began.
The trial of the action was suspended after a request from judge Rodrigo Clemente de Brito and should be resumed next Monday (4).
In a press interview on Friday (24), Cícero Lucena said he was at peace with the trial. He has always denied any link between the activities of criminal factions and his management at city hall.
Lucena was mayor and candidate for re-election when Operation Free Territory was launched in October 2024. At the time, advisors from the municipal management were arrested, in addition to Cícero’s wife. She two days later.
Cícero Lucena was elected in the second round and resigned from his position this month to run for Government of Paraíba. In his place, Leo Bezerra (PSB) took over. A possible conviction could leave Lucena ineligible for the October elections.
At the trial, regional electoral prosecutor Marcos Queiroga stated that the case being tried was extremely serious.
However, he said that there was not enough evidence to revoke the party formed by Cícero Lucena and Bezerra: “There were people [de facções criminosas] infiltrated city hall, but there was no link [vínculo] of these nominations with majority candidacy”.
The TRE judges two electoral judicial investigation actions filed by the campaigns of () and Ruy Carneiro (), second and third placed in the election in João Pessoa.
The actions are based on investigations that indicate suspicions of violent solicitation of voters in communities in João Pessoa controlled by criminal factions.
The investigations indicated the existence of a possible criminal scheme in which members of the city hall facilitated the appointment of commissioned employees nominated by members of factions. In return, the mayor’s group would receive political support and control of territories in the elections
In the Federal Police investigation, Lauremília Lucena was appointed as responsible for managing requests for positions and hiring at city hall, where she had no official position.
At the time, Cícero Lucena stated that there was a political use of institutions to influence the electoral campaign in João Pessoa.
