Mayor of Rio de Janeiro detained in “bribery headquarters case”

The police detained the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, an associate of Brazilian President Marcelo Crivella. He is involved in the case of the “headquarters of bribes” organized by the city administration

In Brazil, the mayor of the country’s largest city was detained in a bribery case nine days before the end of his term, local portal G1 reported.

Marcelo Crivella has denied corruption allegations. According to the mayor, his administration has fought the most against bribery in Rio de Janeiro. He stated that he considers the case against him politically motivated, and expressed hope that justice will prevail.

Several other people were detained in the case, including businessman Rafael Alves and former Rio police chief Fernando Morais. Law enforcement officials tried to find former Senator Eduardo Lopez, but did not find him at home.

An investigation into the “headquarters of bribes” at the Rio de Janeiro City Hall began in 2018. According to the investigation, Rafael Alves was the mayor’s confidant and had his own office in the administration, without holding any position there.

A certain Sergio Mizrahi gave testimony about the detainees. He claims that Alves had actual power in the mayor’s office, choosing who to appoint to a particular position, as well as controlling which companies the administration will conclude contracts with, writes G1. At the same time, Mizrahi said that he did not know if the mayor was aware of the existence of an illegal structure.

Crivella is an evangelical pastor and former senator. As mayor of the economic capital of Brazil, he became known for ordering to significantly cut costs for the carnival and never attended the event, writes The Guardian.

According to the portal, the detention of Crivella was a blow to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whose ally was the mayor. Bolsonaro won the elections in 2018 and supported Crivella’s re-election by recording a video with him.

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