The Brazilian federal police have arrested the brothers Chiquinho and Domingos Brazão, suspected of being the instigators of the murder of the Rio de Janeiro city councilor and Afro-descendant activist, Marielle Franco, and her driver, Anderson Gomes, which occurred on March 14, 2018. Beyond in Chiquinho and Domingos, Rivaldo Barbosa, former head of Rio's civil police, also ended up in handcuffs.
Domingos is currently an advisor to the Court of Auditors of the State of Rio, while Chiquinho is a deputy of Uniao Brasil, the main Brazilian center-right party.
The motivation for the crime, according to investigators, would be linked to the territorial expansion of the 'militias' (paramilitary groups formed by corrupt former police officers) in Rio.
The operation was launched after the Supreme Court last week approved the plea deal of Ronnie Lessa, a former policeman in prison since 2019 as the alleged perpetrator of the murder.
In her denunciation, Lessa mentioned the names of the Brazão, members of a family of politicians considered close to the militias of the West Zone of Rio.
As a city councilor for the far-left Socialism and Freedom Party (Psol), Franco had often denounced the illicit activities of these criminal groups.
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