Minister Nunes Marques, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), suspended this Tuesday, 31st, the removal of Rodrigo Manga (Republicans) from Sorocaba City Hall (SP). With the decision, Manga, who had been out of office since November last year, resumed municipal management.
In a statement, the mayor’s defense celebrated the decision and said that the STF “recognized the lack of reasons and grounds for maintaining the reckless and hasty removal, with the lack of minimal elements that could demonstrate any illegality committed by Mayor Manga”.
The decision, however, is preliminary and needs to be endorsed by the Second Panel of the STF. Nunes Marques determined that this would happen in an extraordinary virtual session.
Last month, Manga was charged by the Regional Attorney’s Office for criminal organization, money laundering, passive corruption, embezzlement, illegal contracting and bid fraud. The defense refutes the accusations.
The complaint is based on Operation Copy and Paste, which investigates Manga and other allies on suspicion of misappropriation of municipal health resources.
The Federal Police launched the second phase of the operation in November. At the time, the Federal Regional Court of the 3rd Region accepted the corporation’s request and removed Manga for 180 days on the grounds that he could hinder the investigations if he continued in his position as mayor, as there were signs that the alleged crimes would continue until 2025.
Continues after advertising
The decision mentioned the existence of “robust evidence” that the mayor was the leader and main beneficiary of the scheme. The removal was maintained by the Superior Court of Justice (STJ).
When suspending the decision this Tuesday, Nunes Marques considered that the only recent fact pointed out to justify the continuation of the criminal scheme was a contract signed in June 2025 by the Sorocaba Autonomous Water and Sewage Service (SAAE).
The minister stated that SAAE is an indirect administration agency and is not part of the municipal Executive and that the “decision does not categorically bind the contract carried out by SAAE to the signature by the patient, mayor of Sorocaba”.
“From this perspective, I think that maintaining the measure constitutes, in the present case, excessive intervention in the political and administrative sphere of the Municipality of Sorocaba/SP, without the police authority having demonstrated the occurrence of an effective and current risk to public order or criminal prosecution”, wrote Nunes Marques.
TikTok
Known for the success of his TikTok profile, with humorous videos about his actions as head of city hall, Manga has already tried running for State government, the Senate and the Presidency of the Republic.
Continues after advertising
Last year, he said he had received an invitation to run for governor of São Paulo in 2026 by PRTB.
