Minister Flávio Dino, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), extended this Saturday, for an indefinite period, the removal of the vice-mayor of Macapá, Mário Neto (Podemos), opponent of the president of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP).
The decision responds to a request from the Federal Police (PF), with the approval of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) and was taken on the eve of the end of the measure’s initial deadline, which would end on May 4. The leave had previously been determined for 60 days.
The suspension prohibits Mário Neto from entering the municipality’s public facilities and accessing, by any means, the agency’s systems and databases. The deputy mayor may be arrested preventively if he fails to comply with the order.
The decision was taken after the PF pointed out signs that, if the deadline expired, there could be interference by those being investigated in ongoing investigations. On April 30th, the corporation requested the extension of the measure for 120 days, or for another period considered appropriate by the Supreme Court, on the grounds that the return of the vice-mayor could allow the assumption of leadership of the municipal Executive and compromise ongoing investigations.
The PF investigates suspicions of deviation of parliamentary amendments in the capital of Amapá. Part of the money would be allocated to the construction of the Macapá Municipal Hospital.
The first request accepted by Dino was on March 3, when he ordered not only the removal of Mário Neto but also the then mayor, Antônio Furlan (PSD), and other city hall employees for a period of 60 days. At the time, the magistrate cited “vehement evidence of crimes against the Public Administration, bidding crimes and money laundering”.
Continues after advertising
The then mayor, also known as Dr. Furlan, resigned from his position shortly after his removal to run for governor in this year’s elections. He intends to enter the dispute against the current governor Clécio Luis (União), who is part of the Alcolumbre political group and will seek re-election.
Shortly after the operation, Furlan published a video claiming to be the target of “attacks and persecution”.
— Everything we expected is happening. Attacks, persecutions, delays. But they are not going against Furlan, they are going against the will of the people and the population of Macapá. In view of this, I want to reaffirm that I am a pre-candidate for the government of Amapá — he announced.
When analyzing the new request, Dino decided to extend the leave without a defined period, conditioning its end to the disappearance of the risks identified during the investigation.
In the decision, the minister states that new facts emerged after the initial removal that indicate an attempt to interfere in the investigations, including payments considered atypical made on the same day the administration left office, in addition to signs of concealment and destruction of evidence within the municipal administration.
According to Dino, “the concreteness of the risk envisioned by the police authority is clear”, that is, there would be a concrete risk that the investigations would hinder the investigations. To this end, he cites the disappearance of HDs, system crashes and mass dismissals by servers under suspicion. “On the contrary, the dynamics of the facts indicate possible orchestrated action with the purpose of forcing an “administrative blackout”, says Dino.
Continues after advertising
The minister also highlighted that measures considered essential are still underway, such as the analysis of seized cell phones — including that of the vice-mayor himself —, the contents of which have not yet been accessed by the Federal Police.
Despite authorizing the suspension of those being investigated from public administration roles, Dino emphasizes that the decision may be revoked depending on the evolution of the investigations.
