The former governor of Rio de Janeiro () announced this Thursday (28) his withdrawal from running for a seat in the .
The withdrawal of his pre-candidacy comes after he was the target of two Federal Police operations within an interval of 11 days. In a video released on his social networks, the former governor stated that he intends to focus on his defense, and declared that he will not leave public life.
Previously, he had already communicated the decision to the national president of the PL, Valdemar Costa Neto.
“These days have been very difficult for me. My family is going through moments that I never imagined they would go through. There were days of pain, days of exposure, days of lies, days of narratives. Much worse than lies is the half-truth. What transforms acts that were correct into an attempt to criminalize something that was correct”, said Castro in the video.
“I have no doubt that the half-truths will fall. But, for that, I need time. […] I have not the slightest doubt about the fairness of all actions. […] I don’t end my political life here. I only take a necessary step.”
The end of the pre-candidacy meets the wishes of PL allies. The fear was that the suspicions against President Castro of (PL) and from his platform in the state, the deputy (PL), president of Alerj (Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro).
Thanking , do , for dinners in luxury restaurants made any rehabilitation of the former governor unfeasible. Allies assess that the dialogues could be associated with the audios already released from Flávio to the former banker, worsening the wear and tear on the senator’s pre-candidacy for the Presidency.
Castro was the target of an operation on Tuesday (26) that investigated the transfers of R$3.7 billion from Rioprevidência, the pension fund for Rio de Janeiro employees, to Master and funds linked to the institution.
The action took place 11 days after another operation against the former governor, to investigate his actions in favor of the Refit group, linked to businessman Ricardo Magro, identified as a persistent tax evader.
In the video, Castro said he will present his defense by next week. He stated that he will demonstrate the limits of a governor’s actions and the correctness of his attitudes.
“Unfortunately, in Brazil, in pre-election times, and especially at this time, where there is a great conflict, these issues become latent. And unfortunately, reputations are destroyed without the slightest shame, simply by an incessant search for power,” he said.
The dialogues over dinners with whiskey, cigars and even gold-plated meat made the scenario different from last week, when a wing of the PL defended calm and avoided abruptly abandoning the former governor after the operation on relations with Ricardo Magro.
This group was betting on Castro’s proximity to mayors of Rio de Janeiro and the rise in Castro’s popularity after Operation Containment, in which 117 people were killed by the police in Complexo do Alemão in alleged clashes — five police officers also died.
The former governor also had legal obstacles to running, after the (Superior Electoral Court) condemned him, in March, to ineligibility for the use of hired employees in electoral campaigns.
The most likely to replace Castro on the ticket are federal deputies Carlos Jordy (PL) and Sóstenes Cavalcante (PL). The two were targets of a PF operation. No complaints have been filed to date.
Senator Carlos Portinho (PL), who is trying to make his re-election viable, is also out. He is in office because he was elected first substitute for senator Arolde de Oliveira, who died in 2020, while in office.
